DEAD MAN'S LETTERS | FOMO Secret Cinema Tbilisi

DEAD MAN’S LETTERS (1986)

Konstantin Lopushansky | 1986 | USSR | 1h27m | presented in the original Russian with English subtitles

Konstantin Lopushansky worked as an assistant to Andrei Tarkovsky on STALKER, and DEAD MAN’S LETTERS feels like one of the clearest films to emerge from that influence.

The ruined landscapes, philosophical weight and sense of spiritual exhaustion are all there, but Lopushansky pushes them into a much more explicit vision of nuclear catastrophe.

After a nuclear disaster, a small group of survivors shelter beneath the remains of a museum. Among them is an elderly scientist who continues writing letters to his missing son, trying to make sense of what happened and whether there's anything left worth living for.

This is hardly a conventional nuclear-war thriller. Lopushansky is less interested in the explosion than in the world that comes after it. The film asks what survives when civilisation doesn’t, and whether ideas like faith, responsibility and hope still mean anything when the future humanity imagined for itself disappears..

Visually, this film is extraordinary. The film stock is dominated by sickly yellows, browns and greens that make every frame feel contaminated. The world these survivors inhabit seems irradiated before anyone even speaks.

Released in 1986, DEAD MAN’S LETTERS remains one of the bleakest and most striking films to emerge from late Soviet cinema. It's also a fascinating companion to Tarkovsky, especially for anyone who has been following our recent screenings of IVAN’S CHILDHOOD and MIRROR.

DEAD MAN’S LETTERS screens at 19:00, followed by MIRROR at 21:00. Free Beer or Wine and Popcorn for guests who join us for both films.

10% OFF FOOD, PLUS GROUP DEALS

Dinner before a film at FOMO is now sorted! We’ve arranged special offers with our two favourite places to eat in Bazari Orbeliani, both right next door to FOMO:

• 10% off at La Focacceria

• 20% off at Potato Factory

• Potato Factory 2+1: buy two and get one free

• Potato Factory 3+2: buy three and get two free

Simply show your Fienta ticket when ordering. You’re welcome to eat in the Sherekilebi Bar at FOMO Secret Cinema or upstairs at FOMO Open-Air Cinema. Tell them where you’ll be sitting and they’ll bring your food to you.

FOOD AND DRINK POLICY: SHEREKILEBI Bar in FOMO Secret Cinema opens 1 hour before the first screening of the day and closes at 01:30, serving a wide selection of beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic refreshments including coffee and tea, as well as fresh hot popcorn! Outside food is allowed in the bar but not in the cinema. No alcohol or drinks from outside are allowed. All guests are invited to arrive early and stay late!

LOCATION: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five minute walk from Liberty Square metro.

HOW TO FIND FOMO: Enter Bazari Orbeliani via Atoneli St above Carrefour and take the stairs on your left to Level 1. Signage on the door. You can also check our Instagram story highlights for a video showing exactly how to find us: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTMzMTA2Mjk0MDI5MjM1

REFUND & CREDIT POLICY: If FOMO cancels a screening, all ticket holders will receive a full refund. If your plans change and you can no longer attend, we’ll issue you a credit for the value of your ticket, which can be used for any FOMO film screening within the following 30 days. Please notify us in advance so we can release your seat to another film fan.

TICKETS are also available at SHEREKILEBI Bar on arrival unless sold out.