And Then We Danced

Merab has trained for years at the National Georgian Ensemble in Tbilisi alongside his dance partner Mary, hoping to earn a place in the company. The arrival of a new male dancer, Irakli, unsettles that plan: he is both a rival for the same position and the object of a desire Merab can neither ignore nor openly express. Set against the strict, conservative world of traditional Georgian dance, the story follows Merab as the pull between ambition and attraction pushes him toward choices that could cost him his standing in the ensemble and the relationships he depends on.

Levan Akin wrote and directed the film, his second feature after The Circle (2015) and the one preceding Crossing (2024). Levan Gelbakhiani plays Merab, with Bachi Valishvili as Irakli, Ana Javakishvili as Mary, and supporting turns from Giorgi Tsereteli, Tamar Bukhnikashvili and Kakha Gogidze among a credited cast of 25. Produced by Mathilde Dedye and Ketie Danelia as a Georgian, French and Swedish co-production, it runs 113 minutes.

The film drew strong notices: critics rated it 7.9/10 across 93 reviews, while audiences gave it 7.6/10 on IMDb from around 16,000 votes and 7.2/10 on TMDB from roughly 269 votes. The critic score sits above both audience scores, and the much larger IMDb sample points to a wide international viewership for a Georgian-language drama.