TBILISI, Georgia - A former screen idol confronts the twilight of his career in “Supporting Role,” a new Georgian drama premiering this fall. Directed by Ana Urushadze, the film stars Dato Bakhtadze as Niaz Ninua, a retired actor accustomed to playing heroic leads. His world shifts after a casting session with a young female filmmaker, who offers him a part far from his usual archetype: a bizarre and distinctly unsympathetic character in her debut feature.
The film, set for release on November 19, 2026, follows Niaz on a nocturnal journey through Tbilisi that becomes something far more cathartic than a simple walk home. With a runtime of 139 minutes, the drama unfolds over the course of a single, transformative evening. Urushadze, known for her precise character studies, reportedly built the script around the friction between an aging performer’s ego and the demands of a role that forces him to confront his own legacy.
Bakhtadze delivers what early observers are calling a career-defining performance, anchoring a story that is as much about a city’s quiet midnight moods as it is about one man’s reckoning. The actor, whose screen presence has long been associated with strength and nobility, here trades those qualities for vulnerability and, at times, uneasy discomfort. His Niaz is a man unmoored - proud of his past glories yet unsure how to navigate a present where his star no longer carries the same weight.
A Cast of Familiar Faces
The ensemble around Bakhtadze adds texture to the night’s unfolding. Nato Murvanidze plays Liza, the young director whose offer sets the plot in motion. Her character is not a mere catalyst but a presence who lingers in Niaz’s thoughts, challenging him in ways he did not anticipate. Lasha Mebuke appears as Tato Ninua, while Elene Maisuradze, Nino Kasradze, Eka Demetradze, Sandro Samkharadze, and Irakli Kvirikadze round out the supporting roster. Each encounter Niaz has on his journey - with old colleagues, acquaintances, and strangers - serves to peel back another layer of his public persona.
The film’s title carries a double edge. On one level, it refers to the professional demotion Niaz faces in accepting a supporting part. On another, it speaks to his place in his own life - no longer the lead actor of his story, but a figure orbiting the lives of others. Urushadze’s direction reportedly leans into this ambiguity, refusing easy resolutions.
A Night in Tbilisi
Cinematography will likely prove a talking point. The film is shot across Tbilisi’s varied landscapes - from the cascading old town stairs to the quieter, modernist districts - with a palette that shifts between warm streetlight amber and the cold blues of pre-dawn. The city is not merely a backdrop but a character in its own right, its rhythms matching Niaz’s internal turmoil. One sequence, reportedly, finds him walking the dry bridge where antique dealers hawk their wares, a fitting metaphor for a man whose own value is being reassessed.
Urushadze, who previously gained international recognition for her feature work, has described the project as an exploration of what it means to accept a diminished role with dignity. Her script, co-written with collaborators, reportedly leaves room for silence and stillness, trusting Bakhtadze’s expressive face to carry emotion that dialogue might flatten.
The film’s production notes emphasize that Niaz’s casting session with Liza is the inciting incident, but the story quickly moves beyond that initial meeting. Instead, the audience is invited to follow him as he revisits familiar haunts, encounters ghosts of his past, and slowly arrives at a new understanding of his worth. The “cathartic journey” promised in the synopsis is not a loud, dramatic arc but a quiet accumulation of moments - a conversation here, a memory there - that build to a final acceptance.
Release Context
“Supporting Role” arrives in theaters during a crowded awards season, where it may find a niche among audiences seeking character-driven international cinema. Its mid-November release suggests a platform rollout, with potential for festival screenings preceding the theatrical launch. As of this writing, the film has not yet amassed an audience score on major review aggregators, given its upcoming debut. The TMDb rating stands at a clean zero, unsurprising for a title that has yet to screen widely for critics or the public.
Georgia’s film industry has seen a steady stream of critically lauded dramas in recent years, and “Supporting Role” seems poised to continue that trend. Bakhtadze’s performance is the draw, but Urushadze’s assured direction and the film’s atmospheric sense of place give it a texture that should resonate with viewers beyond the country’s borders.
For now, the film remains a tantalizing prospect - a story about an old actor finding new meaning in an unexpected chapter, told with the kind of patience and visual elegance that rewards attentive viewing. Whether it lands with mainstream audiences or finds its home in the art-house circuit, “Supporting Role” is a title worth tracking as November approaches.
Source: Variety
