Taming the Garden — Review
A surreal documentary about a man who collects huge ancient trees.
Has a new genre of film emerged — the documentary-fantasy hybrid? This is a dreamlike movie which has a bizarre subject matter — the horticultural ambitions of Georgia’s former prime minister, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who has a penchant for collecting beautiful giant trees. Hundreds of these ancient plants are torn from their homes along Georgia’s coastline and taken to his private garden — the Shekvetili Dendrological Park.
These efforts come at great cost for both him and the environment, as new roads are created, electrical/water infrastructure is displaced and smaller trees are destroyed just so that he can move these natural wonders to his arboretum.
Director Salomé Jashi details the devastation, in a film which is operating in parallel both literally and as a metaphor for extreme wealth, and the environmental damage wreaked by an appetite for excess.
The film does not feature the billionaire Ivanishvili himself, nor speculate on why he decided seven years ago to embark on this foray of ecological vandalism. A decade ago, he emerged from the shadows to create a new political party, became Georgia’s prime minister and left office within a year. The shadowy rise and fall remains mysterious in this film. Is this paradise arboretum a show of strength of strength, a folie de grandeur. What exactly is his gameplan?
The film follows one particular tree’s journey, and it turns out that uprooting and moving a tree isn’t a straightforward process. Any “less significant” trees are cut out of the way, spotlighted in a crunching night-time scene of a majestic specimen being lifted with the help of bulldozers.
The film does show the lives of those whose livelihoods are caught up within this situation, as workers argue about the scale of the task and communities are challenged with the ethical quandaries of this project counter-balanced by the remuneration they will receive. The low-key family discussions are quite enthralling, particularly a wise old lady discussing the concepts of karma in relation to the events which are transpiring. Some youngsters record the tree-napping with their phones, others find comfort in nicotine. One lady just breaks out in tears.
However, much of what is going on is left to the interpretation of the viewer, and the director highlights how her film is an individual experience
“ It’s entirely up to the viewers to uncover these layers — they can uncover as much as they want, as much as they see fit, coming from their own perspective and experience. To me, this film is like the experience of hiking in nature. Maybe you hear a howl in the distance for a moment or notice the grass swaying oddly in the gentle breeze, or you feel a sudden gust of cold air on your sweaty neck. At times, these moments evoke visceral feelings, and at other times, they are pure facts.” Salomé Jashi, Director
The natural soundtrack for this film is mesmerising, whether waves crashing, leaves rustling, birds singing or even an orchestra of heavy duty machinery… there is an ASMR-like quality to the viewing experience.
A subdued sense of symmetry takes place when the tree finally docks and is picked up by construction vehicles, ready to be transported to Ivanishvili’s garden, as a mournful choir providing the backdrop for the arrival to the artificial garden of paradise which the oligarch has created.
Gardeners tend to the lawns, and sprinklers switch on as the trees are finally shown in their new home. It’s both stunning and sterile, a dazzling faux-natural museum of phenomenal trees belonging to one private individual. A symbol of unfettered wealth dominating the living world.
“ I was seeing something that I should never have seen, that should have never happened. It was like some sort of error; a digital glitch in reality that wasn’t supposed to exist.” Salomé Jashi, Director
This is such an otherworldly film, I can’t imagine anything else like this oddly absorbing real-life fable. Cinema tickets are available here
