Selected for this year’s Cannes Critics’ Week, Imago follows 40-year-old Déni Oumar Pitsaev, who serves as both director and protagonist, as he returns to a Georgian valley bordering his native Chechnya, which he left at the age of just six months old, to confront his roots and reconnect with his family. Since Pitsaev can’t properly go back to Chechnya for political reasons, his mother bought him a piece of land in 2017 in Pankisi, a linguistic and religious enclave mainly populated by Chechens who decided to escape the war and found refuge in Georgia. After living in both Kazakhstan and Russia, followed by studies in Belgium and France (where he currently resides), the filmmaker felt that this event was worth documenting. By incorporating some fictional – or, rather, slightly manipulated – elements, he chose to transform it into a film.

The documentary presents both the political context of the story, which remains mostly in the background, and a personal perspective that takes precedence. The people whom Pitsaev speaks to, mainly family members and friends, appear as part of an introspective journey. The conversations primarily concern their personal experiences and how these intersect with broader political and social dynamics. Nevertheless, one of Imago’s strengths lies in its ability to maintain this balance without resorting to easy escamotages or superficial dialogue.

A recurring theme in the feature is marriage and, by extension, children. From his distant cousin Daoud, an Olympic judo bronze medallist for Georgia, to his mother, many of those around the protagonist express concern that he has not yet settled down. This dynamic will likely resonate with viewers familiar with the pressure to explain personal life choices to family, especially when those choices are not easy to articulate. A key focus of the movie is the protagonist’s relationship with his parents, particularly the strained connection with his father. A local friend, Irakli, seems to be the only one able to fully grasp Pitsaev’s inner conflict, offering some of the film’s most resonant moments.

Imago handles weighty themes with a restrained tone, gradually building in intensity. The film is definitely a slow burner, which reaches its emotional high point in the final section, when tension between Pitsaev and his father surfaces. The documentary occasionally feels uneven (or, rather, too long) and would have benefited from some strategic cuts. Editors Dounia Sichov (Return to Seoul [+lee también:
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The film certainly has a great deal to say and can boast some great visuals, appealing both to viewers interested in political contexts and to those drawn to intimate, family-centred narratives. Unfortunately, it ends up feeling uninviting for wider audiences and ultimately represents a strong festival entry while remaining less approachable for the general public.

Imago was produced by France’s Triptyque Films with Belgium’s Need Productions on board as co-producer. Rediance is handling its international sales.