English summary

On a small island in a river, an elderly farmer and his granddaughter start to build a hut and sow some maize. The river, which forms the border between Georgia and the disputed region of Abkhazia, carries silt down from the Caucasus and creates a temporary island with fertile soil. After the summer the river will again swallow up the arable ground. Month after month, frequently battling merciless weather, the man and his granddaughter work hard to beat the clock and safeguard their harvest. Now and again a boatful of soldiers passes by and, once, a wounded Georgian soldier washes up.

This relatively simple tale is told poetically, with breathtakingly beautiful images. As the movie progresses, the tension mounts and the story deepens. The serene atmosphere, the Sisyphean task, the progression of the seasons and the two protagonists’ engaging acting turn Corn Island into a rare gem of a film.