Synopsis
Merab, a devoted dancer, has been training for years with his partner Mary for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble. The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli, sparks both an intense rivalry and romantic desire that may cause Merab to risk his future in dance as well as his relationships.
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Cast
- Levan GelbakhianiMerab
- Bachi ValishviliIrakli
- Ana JavakishviliMary
- Giorgi TsereteliDavid
- Tamar BukhnikashviliTeona
- Kakha GogidzeAleko
- Ninutsa GabisoniaNinutsa
- Aleko BegalishviliIoseb
- Mate KhidasheliMate
- Anano MakharadzeSopo
- 91
IndieWire
It’s one of the year’s best gay films. - 83
The Film Stage
The result is at once empowering . . . heart-wrenching . . . and inspirational. - 80
Film Threat
And Then We Danced works because of a tender and heartfelt performance by Levan Gelbakhiani. - 80
Screen Daily
An instantly engaging tale of a young male dancer’s sexual awakening in contemporary Tbilisi, And Then We Danced is personal and political, romantic and educational. - 75
Slant Magazine
Levan Akin offers up a swooning gay romance as the centerpiece from which all of his other ideas radiate. - 63
Movie Nation
Manages to tell an over-familiar coming out story with sensitivity, and a Georgian accent. - 60
Variety
Gifted as both a thrilling dancer and a nuanced actor, Gelbakhiani’s magnetic presence goes a long way toward papering over some of the more timeworn plot elements . . . and the film should make audiences clamor for more vehicles that feature his seemingly effortless ability to radiate joy. - 58
The A.V. Club
The dancing is mostly depicted in practice and rehearsal in a featureless room, captured in raggedly cut handheld sequences that betray the movie’s modest means. If Akin knows how to direct better than this, he rarely shows it. But if he never displays a knack for visualizing the physicality of dance (more impressive rehearsal footage can be found in about five seconds on YouTube), he does a decent job of conveying the frustration and passion it inspires in Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani, a professional dancer).