Beginning

Beginning (, dasats’q’isi, Dasatskisi, working title: Naked Sky) is a 2020 Georgian-French drama film, directed by Déa Kulumbegashvili, about the wife of a Jehovah's Witness leader who becomes disillusioned with her life inside a patriarchal religious community after its place of worship is firebombed by violent extremists. It was in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival, and had its premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it won the FIPRESCI Prize. It was subsequently screened and won awards at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and the Adelaide Film Festival. Beginning received mostly favourable reviews from critics, with the direction compared to that of Austrian director Michael Haneke. Plot Yana, the wife of a Jehovah's Witness religious leader, David, becomes disillusioned with her life inside a patriarchal religious community after its Kingdom Hall is firebombed by violent extremists. This event is the starting point of the film, which focuses on Yana's interior life and emotional deterioration after David apparently does not understand what she is trying to express, and repeatedly says that something is wrong with her. David reports the firebombing to the police, who pressure him to delete the security footage of the incident. He decides to present himself to the elders of the church and ask them for funding for the construction of a new Kingdom Hall, leaving Yana alone with their son Giorgi. A detective from Tbilisi calls on Yana, ostensibly to ask questions about the fire at the church, but his questions become intrusive and personal, including about her sexual life with her husband. He asks if she feels scared, to which she answers "Yes". He asks her to sit on the couch with him, before forcing her hand into his trousers. Shortly afterwards he apologizes and leaves. Yana heads to the police, but is informed by the officer there that no detective from Tbilisi has arrived. Later at night, the detective ambushes Yana near a river and sexually assaults her. He briefly appears to consider killing her with a rock, but decides against it and leaves.