This dark, philosophical fable from Georgian female director and writer Khatuna Vashade is a story of the randomness of fate. Bullet is also a story about revenge against an unseen enemy.
While out walking in the countryside one day, a young boy is shot by an unseen gun fired into the forest killing him instantly. It was an unintentional killing, the result of someone carelessly playing with their weapon, as though there were no consequences to pulling a trigger into an open space.
The father of the slain boy, played by George Megreisshvili, is determined to find out who fired the shot that destroyed his son and the family. He pursues an elaborate investigation to try to find the gun and its owner.
He hires a private detective played by George Aznauri who eventually uncovers the killer to be the father’s own employer. The discovery of who was responsible for his son’s random killing creates an enormous dilemma in this small community. It turns out the same gun fired two random bullets that day, one of which killed the boy.
The atmosphere in this movie is Beckettian as the conundrum facing the heartbroken father plays out.
Bullet has won multiple awards on the festival circuit this year, including several for director Vashade. It won Best Drama at the Texas Gold Film Festival, a special jury award at the Brazil International Film Festival and was a semifinalist at the New York International Women’s Festival. Vashade was nominated in the Best Director category at the Marbella Film Festival.