Etero (Eka Chavleishvili) never wanted a husband and has dismissed all thoughts of marriage; however, the flinty, self-sufficient 48-year-old shopkeeper is the subject of malicious gossip in the small Georgian village where she lives, largely because she lives alone and has remained a virgin all her life, a choice she is comfortable with.

Unexpectedly, and rather inconveniently, Etero finds herself passionately falling for delivery driver Murman (Temiko Chichinadze), and is suddenly faced with the decision to pursue a relationship or continue a life of independence. Etero must grapple with her feelings and decide how to find her own path to happiness.

Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry is an endearing, bittersweet portrait of an independent woman at the mercy of society’s limited expectations.

Notes by David O’Mahony