‘Beginning’ Is An Acute Portrayal Of Religious Suffering [San Sebastian Review]
Boldy unfolding through a series of fixed shots, Georgian director Dea Kulumbegashvili’s debut feature “Beginning” is a striking portrait of a woman’s internal suffering at the hands of a husband who prioritizes religious devotion over marital equality. Taking place within a small congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Georgia, “Beginning” consists of roughly a week in the life of Yana (Mohsen Makmalbaf), wife to the congregation’s leader David (Rati Oneli, who also co-wrote).