Overview
A darkly comedic exploration of life, death, and the ghosts of the past in a small town.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- grotesque
- melancholic
- surreal
- political cinema night
- arthouse film viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an ambitious, symbolically rich political allegory whose surreal satire confronts dictatorship and historical amnesia.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Varlam Aravidze’s corpse keeps returning after his funeral, making the supernatural image a recurring mechanism of historical judgment.
Varlam’s terror and cult of authority evoke Stalin-era repression while the film’s Georgian setting broadens the critique of dictatorship.
The recurring corpse, public trial, and absurdly heightened social behavior combine satire with the horror of dictatorship.
Ketevan Barateli’s persistence brings Varlam’s crimes before Abel’s family and challenges their attempts to bury the past.
Films like Repentance, and why
The Lives of Others
political allegory, state terror, moral reckoning, and darkly surreal satire
The Death of Stalin
authoritarian repression, historical memory, and tragic political drama
The Tin Drum
surreal political allegory, dictatorship, and grotesque black comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Tengiz Abuladze
- Release Date
- 1987-05-01
- Runtime
- 153 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (72)
Cast
- Avtandil Makharadze
- Iya Ninidze
- Zeinab Botsvadze
- Ketevan Abuladze
- Edisher (Davit) Giorgobiani
- Kakhi Kavsadze
- Merab Ninidze
- Nino Zaqariadze
- Nano Ochigava
- Georgi Mataradze
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Klassiki
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Repentance about?
- A Georgian political allegory turns a dictator’s endlessly resurfacing corpse into an unforgettable demand for historical accountability.
- What is Repentance like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Repentance as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Repentance violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Repentance as mild.
- What did critics think of Repentance?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an ambitious, symbolically rich political allegory whose surreal satire confronts dictatorship and historical amnesia.
- Which films are like Repentance?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lives of Others, The Death of Stalin, and The Tin Drum.
- How long is Repentance?
- Repentance runs 153 minutes.
- Where can I watch Repentance?
- In United States, Repentance streams on Klassiki.
