The intersection of personal crisis and societal upheaval is the central theme of , premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival. The 31-minute documentary, Graft Versus Host, directed by Giorgi Gagoshidze, explores this connection through the lens of his own battle with a rare and aggressive cancer, T-cell lymphoma, and his prior research into the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Gagoshidze, a 42-year-old Georgian artist based in Berlin, initially set out to document the economic factors contributing to the USSR’s dissolution. However, his project took an unexpected turn in when he experienced severe shortness of breath and was diagnosed at the Charité hospital in Berlin. The subsequent treatment – a combination of chemotherapy and an eight-month hospital stay – prompted a profound shift in perspective.
“Everything just collapsed,” Gagoshidze recalls, reflecting on the initial shock of his diagnosis. He also noted the unforgiving nature of the art world, stating, “And the art world is very merciless. It can devour you faster than cancer.” This personal collapse, however, became a catalyst for a deeper understanding of systemic change, revealing unexpected parallels between his individual experience and the broader historical events he had initially intended to study.
The film’s core insight lies in the realization that Gagoshidze’s treatment plan mirrored the Soviet collapse and its subsequent transition. This observation became a central tenet of Graft Versus Host, prompting him to examine the complexities of systemic shifts through a unique and deeply personal framework.
The post-1989 economic reintegration of East and West Germany provides a specific case study within the film. In Germany, this period is often characterized as an annexation of the socialist east by the capitalist west, a perspective highlighted in the book The Takeover. However, Gagoshidze’s Georgian perspective offers a more nuanced understanding of the transition process.
His research led him to the story of Abasha, a village in Georgia where, in , the first secretary of the Georgian Communist party, Eduard Shevardnadze, initiated an economic experiment. This experiment allowed farmers to retain a portion of their surplus crops or sell them for profit, a limited form of ownership within the Soviet system. The initiative proved remarkably successful, boosting agricultural output and establishing Shevardnadze as a reformist figure.
However, Gagoshidze argues that the Abasha experiment inadvertently paved the way for the Soviet Union’s collapse. It fostered the growth of underground enterprises, known as tsekhoviks, that operated outside the formal economy, creating a shadow system based on corruption. When the Soviet system ultimately dissolved, it couldn’t be reformed incrementally but instead transitioned rapidly into a market-driven economy.
He recalls a stark contrast in availability of basic goods during the collapse, stating, “I remember one day my mum took me to the supermarket and all the essentials were there. The next time she took me, she had to beg the people working for anything edible whatsoever, because the shelves were empty. And then we got back home and there was no gas, no hot water, nothing.”
This experience is likened within the film to the stages of his radiotherapy treatment. Gagoshidze explains that suppressing the cancer cells was the initial step, but the more challenging aspect was introducing a new immune system – through a bone marrow transplant – and allowing his body to adapt. This process mirrors the need for complete privatization to ensure the functionality of a new economic system following a systemic collapse.
Gagoshidze received his bone marrow transplant from his father, resulting in a half-matching tissue type and the development of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). This condition occurs when the transplanted immune system attacks the recipient’s body, creating what Gagoshidze describes as “a permanent civil war in the body.” Medication was essential to manage the immune response, but he notes that post-Soviet countries lacked the regulatory mechanisms to prevent such conflicts.
“It’s a loop that never ends, a constant state of catching up but never arriving,” Gagoshidze says, reflecting on the ongoing challenges facing Georgia. Despite seceding from the Soviet Union in and being granted EU candidate status in , the country’s progress has been hampered by democratic backsliding, effectively halting its EU bid in .
On a more hopeful note, Gagoshidze’s personal prognosis is improving. His graft-versus-host disease has been relatively mild, and his doctors believe he can be considered cured if his health remains stable until . “The doctors are happy, and if they are happy, I am happy.”
Graft Versus Host, with its visually chaotic yet lucid approach – drawing comparisons to the work of documentarians Adam Curtis and Hito Steyerl – offers a compelling and deeply personal exploration of societal collapse and the enduring challenges of transition.
