The President (2014)

A brutal dictator comes face to face with the injustices committed by his regime when his country is taken over by revolutionists.

Director:

Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Writers:

Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Marzieh Makhmalbaf (as Marziyeh Meshkiny)

Stars:

Mikheil Gomiashvili, Dachi Orvelashvili, Leo Antadze

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mikheil Gomiashvili	...	President / Your Majesty / Grandad (as Misha Gomiashvili)
Dachi Orvelashvili	...	Grandson / Your Royal Highness
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Leo Antadze	...	Colonel
Zura Begalishvili	...	Barber
Elene Bezarashvili	...	Younger daughter
Guja Burduli	...	Political Prisoner - singer
Tornike Bziava	...	The soldier
Davit Davishvili	...	Marshall
Kakha Gabelaia	...	Tortured Political Prisoner
Gia Gogishvili	...	Groom
Nika Gordeziani	...	Soldier
Tekla Javakhadze	...	Bride
Lasha Kankava	...	Army Officer
Avto Karashvili	...	Man Who Saw the President
Lazare Kervalishvili	...	Barber's son

Storyline

The President is the story of a dictator of an imaginary country in the Caucasus, who is forced to escape following a coup d'état, and begins a journey to discover his country in the company of his five-year-old grandson. The two travel across the lands that the President once governed. Now, disguised as a street musician to avoid being recognized, the former dictator comes into contact with his people, which he comes to know from a different point of view.

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Plot Keywords:

dictator | two word title | dancing | little girl | beach | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Georgia France UK Germany

Language:

Georgian

Release Date:

October 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Presidente

Filming Locations:

Tbilisi, Georgia

Company Credits

Production Co:

20 Steps Productions,Brummer & Herzog Filmproduktion,Creativity Capital

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the president allows his grandson to command that the lights in neighborhoods surrounding their headquarters be deactivated at night time, not only do lights wired to the power grid go dark but also the headlights of motor vehicles which continue moving along as though their operators are not phased in the slightest by reduced visibility. Only the discharge of an electromagnetic pulse could potentially have such an effect, yet no reference is made such a methodology.

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Soundtracks

LA GLORIA
Performed by Gotan Project feat. Victor Hugo Morales
(P. Cohen Solal, E. Makaroff, C.H. Mueller)
Editions Science et Mélodie Publishing
© 2010 Ya Basta Records
Courtesy of Universal Music Vision

User Reviews

A great little gem

This is an interesting film about a deposed president of a fictional country. The fact that the country is fictional does not devalue the film, it moves it away from historical documentary and toward a humanist commentary, away from politics and towards philosophy.

This could've been any country, really. The world is filled with dictators and tyrants. What this film didn't need is people saying "Actually, the opposition turned out to be worse" or "This particular president did not order that" or any sort of political bickering, whataboutery and bias.

All the facts here are on the table. There is no "half the story is in the film, the other half is in reality."

The film shows how terrible people can be to each other, by they can't always blame their superiors or say they were just following orders. The film shows how this dictator can be horrible as a dictator and a poor refugee, how power did not corrupt him because he was just as bad without it, just as many others in the ensuing chaos of the power vacuum.

We see how people behave with and without power, under orders and on their own volition, when desperate and when not, as individuals and in groups, all in the course of 2 hours.

The cinematography is brilliant and there is a particular scene, the riot scene at the start of the film, is one of the greatest moments in cinema. It is that well done and it must be seen. It is worth watching the whole film for.

Not a perfect film but highly recommended.