Repentance (1984): Cast & Plot
Repentance is a 1984 comedy drama directed by Tengiz Abuladze, starring Avtandil Makharadze as Varlam Aravidze / Abel Aravidze, Zeinab Botsvadze and Edisher (Davit) Giorgobiani. It runs 2 hours 33 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 33m (153 min)
- Director
- Tengiz Abuladze
- Original language
-
Georgian - Studio
- Sovexportfilm
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Repentance About?
The premise of Repentance without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A masterful, nightmarish political vision by Georgia’s leading modern director. The day after Varlam Aravidze’s funeral, his corpse appears in his son’s garden. Though secretly reburied, the body repeatedly resurfaces until police apprehend a local woman. She says Varlam’s Stalin‑like terror, which destroyed her family, means he never be laid to rest.
Repentance Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- totalitarianism
- funeral
- forced labor camp
- stalinism
- police state
- nightmare
- dictator
- communism
- political allegory
- one word title
- lavrentiy beria character
- lavrentiy beria
+38 more Show fewer
- repentance
- atonement
- sins of the father
- tbilisi georgia
- leader
- rubik's cube
- power
- dream sequence
- old woman
- christianity
- enemy
- soviet union
- caucasus
- glasnost
- politics
- flashback
- symbolism
- surrealism
- rose
- revenge
- religion
- priest
- piano
- painting
- nun
- log
- knight
- gun
- guilt
- graveyard
- fascism
- crucifix
- court
- confession
- coffin
- cliff
- church
- celebration
Repentance Cast & Characters
Avtandil Makharadze leads the cast as Varlam Aravidze / Abel Aravidze, with Zeinab Botsvadze as Ketevan Barateli and Edisher (Davit) Giorgobiani as Sandro Barateli. Directed by Tengiz Abuladze; 12 actors are credited in all.
- Director Tengiz Abuladze
- Avtandil Makharadze as Varlam Aravidze / Abel Aravidze
- Zeinab Botsvadze as Ketevan Barateli
- Edisher (Davit) Giorgobiani as Sandro Barateli
- Ketevan Abuladze as Nino Barateli
Also Starring in Repentance
· 8 more- Merab Ninidze Tornike
- Kakhi Kavsadze Mikheil Koresheli
- Iya Ninidze Guliko
- Amiran Amiranashvili
- Marina Kakhiani
- Georgi Mataradze
- Nino Zaqariadze Elene Korisheli
- Nano Ochigava Young Ketevan
More from Tengiz Abuladze
More films directed by Tengiz Abuladze: The Wishing Tree, The Plea, Me, Grandma, Iliko and Ilarion and Somebody Else’s Children.
Repentance Plot Summary
What happens in Repentance from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 11 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
The film opens in a quiet Georgian town, where daily life starts with a simple, domestic scene—an unnamed woman preparing cakes—before the weight of history and memory presses in. The town’s mayor, Varlam Aravidze, has died, and the mood is a blend of mourning and unease as people reckon with what his leadership once meant. One day after the funeral, a troubling repetition disrupts the quiet: the mayor’s corpse reappears in the garden of his son’s house, forcing the community to confront a past it would rather forget. The unsettling recurrence of the dead figure becomes a tangible reminder that violence and fear can linger long after the sound of the funeral bells fades.
Full summary
The whole story of Repentance, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Repentance?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who was the town mayor whose death and funeral open the film?
Repentance Also Known As
18 alternative titles, including “Die Reue” and “Monanieba”.
- Also known as
-
- Die Reue
- Monanieba
- Pokajanie
- POKAYANIYE
- Repentir
- De Biecht
- Peşmanlıq
- Pentimento
- Покаяние
- Botgöring
- Le repentir
- Vezeklés
+6 more Show fewer
- 忏悔
- Pişmanlık
- Pokání
- Μετάνοια
- Arrependimento Sem Perdão
- Patukahetsus
Seen Repentance?
Movies Like Repentance
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Repentance, The Confession and Back to the USSR.
Repentance FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast, post-credit scenes and language of Repentance, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Repentance?
Repentance runs 2 hours 33 minutes (153 minutes).
When was Repentance released?
Repentance was released on June 30, 1984.
Who directed Repentance?
Repentance was directed by Tengiz Abuladze.
More films by Tengiz Abuladze Who is in the cast of Repentance?
Repentance stars Avtandil Makharadze as Varlam Aravidze / Abel Aravidze, Zeinab Botsvadze as Ketevan Barateli and Edisher (Davit) Giorgobiani as Sandro Barateli, among 12 credited actors.
Does Repentance have a post-credit scene?
No. Repentance has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Repentance in?
The original language of Repentance is Georgian.
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