Tbilisi. Writer Soso delivers two copies of his manuscript for a novel, titled "Blue Mountains, or Tianshan" to a publishing house, and the editors assure him that they will read it. But they don't. Soso keeps showing up in the building, asking editors Vaso, the director and Irodioni if they read it, but they always have excuses, citing that they are busy. Months pass, and Soso keeps showing up in their offices, but nothing changes, they just keep him waiting. During a committee session, the dozen officials all say they will yield towards the opinion of the majority, but nobody read the manuscript. A crack appears on the ceiling, the building collapses, they all relocate to another building, but keep their mentality of stalling.
"Blue Mountains" is one of those movies that are classics in their home country, but much weaker when seen outside in the rest of the world. The problem is not in the topic, which is surprisingly relevant and universal—but more so in the rather lax, too conventional and slow execution, which drags. The concept of a writer who wants to publish his manuscript, but nobody at the publishing house wants to read it, is a bitter satire on problems of artists who want to follow their dream, but don't have the means to achieve them—who knows how many amazing films and novels were never made just because producers or publishers didn't want to bother with "unknown" authors? Unfortunately, the director Eldar Shengelaia does not have a sense for comic timing nor how to build up a joke, since the movie is overstretched and not particularly funny. In one of the best moments, writer Soso delivers his manuscript to the director of the publishing house, "Blue Mountains, or Tianshan", but the man does not even listen to him, and instead just superficially talks about some people on motorcycles playing "motorball" with a football on the field seen through the window, to get rid of him as soon as possible, feigning he will read both "Blue Mountains" and "Tianshan", not even realizing these are the same title, not two different manuscripts. The director even has this exchange with him: "Soso, you must be more active. Bother people!" - "I am bothering you". - "Good!" As cracks start appearing on the ceiling of the publishing house, and one overweight official even pulls the entire window to open it, the allegory takes on grotesque dimensions about the decay and collapse of inefficient bureaucracy and incompetent institutions not doing their job, but this cannot quite compensate for the fact that the film is at times a little bit boring.
Grade:++
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