India, Aug. 6 -- A tense, ominous foreboding grips the frames of April, Georgian writer-director Dea Kulumbegashvili's sophomore feature, one that unravels over the course of the 134 minutes of this visceral, unforgettable film. It opens within a dark space where a humanoid creature walks crouched- who is it? What does it represent?

This interrogative spirit is not particularly eluded as Dea sets up the harrowing character study of an obstetrician, Nina (Ia Sukhitashvili, terrific), whose undercover job as an abortion provider in rural Georgia makes her the target of vicious attacks and an imminent investigation.

April discovers a world that is elusive in its mix of beauty and capacity for violence. Both exist simultaneously. Here in th...