L'été de mes 27 baisers (2000) Online

Popularly unheralded, "27 Missing Kisses" is a gem of a movie. Nana Dzhordzhadze directs with warmth and a lightness of touch whilst retaining a keen eye for some truly memorable imagery. In fact, scenically, the film a visual treat. The plot is a simple one but beautifully realized due in part to the excellent performances of Nutsa Kukhianidze as the main protagonist Sibylla and in the supporting role of Veronica, Amaliya Morduinova. The movie unfolds at an easy pace which allows the character of Sibylla to fully develop and for the supporting characters, particularly the women, to fully reveal themselves. Much of the story takes place around a simple village environment and Dzhordzhadze deserves credit for making this place, so warm and gentle, yet filled with such wonderful characters, so believable. It is a film full of varying emotions but never descends into gratuitous sentimentality. The soundtrack is subtle, never intrusive and absolutely appropriate, beautifully reflecting the mood of the film.

If this film has any shortcomings, perhaps it could be said that some of the sub-plots are less than perfectly resolved and most of the male characters are clichéd in type but these really are minor faults indeed in what is a completely beguiling movie.

27 Missing Kisses shows that Europeans are still capable of producing strong little pictures about life in general as lived by ordinary people . Much of the charm of the film lies in the recognition of man's ability of making a complete fool of himself. The natural beauty of the leading character, Sibylla, her disarming honesty in her doomed love for an older man makes one wonder at the forced and unnaturally contrived lives we all lead. Never preachy or heavy-handed, sentimental nor crude, but always utterly believable, its straightforwardness is deceiving. The village in which most of the action takes place is filled with its fair share of funnily sketched characters. Entertaining as they are, they only serve as distractions from what lies beneath.

The clever and convincing script, the sober but beautiful photography and the natural performances combined with the assured direction make this German/Georgian co-production a little gem of which any big name director would have been proud. I'm happy to say they still make them this way.

This is a beautiful movie in every way. It's too bad that Hollywood can't produce something like this once in awhile. While Sibylla is misunderstood by everyone around her, the audience understands only too well that sometimes we can't explain our feelings. Sometimes we can't just automatically conform. In fact, sometimes the most interesting people are people like Sibylla who is beautiful self from beginning to end. She follows her heart no matter how illogical or imprudent those feelings might be... not matter the cost. Nutsa Kukhianidze is spectacular. Great to look at. Fun to spend two hours with. A very convincing young rebel.

Mickey who narrates the story is in love with Sibylla. Sibylla is the central character of this film. She is a wild uninhibited free spirited teenager who promises Mickey 100 kisses before the Summer ends. Mickey relishes her kisses so freely given, but alas! Sibylla it seems has fallen in love with Mickey's father Alexander.

As we follow Sibylla's antics in her quest to gain Alexander's advances, we are introduced to some lovely scenes in the woods surrounding the village. Tomboy Sibylla jumps off a high bridge into the river below and we see her robbing the bees of their honey comb in the bole of a tree.

These exterior scenes have a beautiful almost fairy tale quality about them. She and Mickey steal into a movie theatre showing "Emanuelle" (forbidden to juniors) and engage in other naughty escapades. Sibylla knows the power of a woman's body and is not averse to divesting herself of her clothes at the appropriate time.

Playboy Alexander has a lot of woman admirers, so Sibylla has a lot of competition, but undaunted she will not give up her quest. Likewise Mickey is determined to have Sibylla.

Half way through this film another character is introduced. Captain (Pierre Richard) is a bearded man with a boat on a trailer who is looking for water to float his vessel. It is a comical sight to see the outline of a boat moving around the village streets. Comedy unexpectedly turns to melodrama in the closing scenes of the story.

Watch this film if you fancy some light entertainment and are curious to know if Mickey is finally rewarded with those promised 100 kisses.

I saw this movie lately at Brussels's intenational film festival. It felt quite amazing because I had the impression there was some common points between this and "Luna Papa" which was presented last year. Then the director came to speak about the movie and I learn both films had the same scenarist who was also the director's husband. But there's something more in that new movie, something near of what I would call perfection! You know, the kind of movie in which you find everything you can expect from a film: poetry, in the images in "clair-obsur" but also in the way the actors act and look, laugh and joy, which seems to be a characteristic of movies from Eastern Europe, a wonderful use of Goran Bregovic's music (which is actually the same as in Arizona dream, but it doesn't matter because it's very fitting...

I think it was simply the best movie I saw for the last five years!

27 Missing Kisses is a good pastime if you want a different film that drags some folklore along it. It's funny, but tragic too. I can't say I loved it to the bone, but I found it interesting for sure.

What happens in a little town in Caucasus when a teen girl falls in love with a teen boy's father and the teen boy with her? Such an interesting subject. The director doesn't get stuck on some particular frames, yet he still fails a little when trying to make the film flow. So it could have been better. But I would still recommend it to those who are bored or Hollywood garbage. Don't expect a masterpiece, and don't expect to to laugh your rear off either. But you still won't regret watching this flick anyway.

7.5/10 from me

I saw "27 Missing Kisses" tonight on a campus theatre. The main character, Sibylla played by Nutsa Kukhianidze, is a free-spirited tomboy who enlivens a small town where she is visiting her aunt. I found the film to be edgy, zany with nonsequiturs, and interesting though perhaps self-referentially absorbed. It was reasonably believable and interesting, and some of it was quite funny, but I didn't find it to be particularly memorable. I probably missed key cultural context, though the film's narrative style did remind me a bit of Russian writer Nikolai Gogol. The setting and photography were quite appealing.

At the time, this movie came just after the schock that was "Amelie". Not as technically perfect or original, this movie shares some of Jeunet's masterpiece poetry with a sense of the grotesque typical of this director (he or she ? Who cares ?), with lots of eccentric touches, and another late, great role for the underrated Pierre Richard. This one really went straight to the heart, by some impossible-to-explain chemistry. I'm still wainting for a DVD. video. anything !

27 Missing Kisses is the tale of a young girl moving into an isolated town. Like all isolated towns, everyone is a bit stuck up. The journey of our protagonist is, in some way, to liberate these simple folks and educate them on the world outside. Everyone is prudent, at least on the outside, and Sibylla's outgoing and sexualised view of the world is shocking. Her attitude is frowned upon by the town, but secretly lusted after by the males. After the release of the movie Emmanuelle, everyone shows their hypocrisy by engaging in sexual antics. The film was rather hard to enjoy. It was a bizarre fantastical comedy, but with all its quirks and charm it was never really likable or interesting. Some points were just downright confusing. I finished the movie feeling absolutely nothing for anybody on screen, but was still annoyed at how they all seemed bent on ruining each others lives. It was like Amelie, but a boring and heartless version.

I'm very disappointed. First of all, the German synchronization is bad. Maybe in the original version (with subtitles) it would have been better, but the whole movie looks like if the director saw Luna Papa and Black Cat White Cat and tried to produce something in this style, too. But failed in every aspect. It's an incongruent mixture of a weird unbelievable story and very childish gags. No atmosphere, no life. Extremely primitive sex-humor. I voted 2, because 1 is the worst, and the other point for 'Sybilla', she's really cute. Sorry - I like 'eastern' movies, but this one is really superfluous.

This movie is very lively and poetic. Based around a romantic triangle between two teenagers and the boy's father, the movie plunges you in the ambiance of a small georgian village. Combining moments of comedy and tragedy, it succeeds in being entertaining.

Sibylla comes to spend her vacations by her aunt, this will be a very special summer for a teenager that knows this pretty and rebel girl able to awake the senses of a whole community in a Georgian town. The movie is very poetic and full of funny (sometime surreal) situations, it starts with the total eclipse of sun and with a promise. Mikey asks to Sibylla to kiss her and she agrees telling to the boy she will give him 100 kisses before the end of the summer. Mikey is very in love with Sibylla and he would like to spend every minute of the short season in her company, but for the girl Mikey is not as fascinating as his father Alex.