niko pirosmani (5 may 1862 - 9 april 1918) was honoured in the 1969 cine-bio by director giorgi shengelaia. the quality of cinematography and the sheer painterly imagery makes this a memorable and romantic homage to the life of the georgian primitivist painter. the period styling and atmospheric vignette style shots all seem ultra instagram worthy and the message of hope and perseverance just as hashtagable. the movie is almost a collection of historical postcards portraying the juxtaposition of bleak traditionalism and the warmth of creative passion, symbolically played out through the weather and scenery; connections with the artworks might seem forced but in this instance it informs and directs the narrative in a clever though obvious way. i’m a total sucker for this kind of movie; simple, sincere and beautifully sad.