Director: Marat Sarulu (Kazakh)
8/10
Set in present-day Kazakhstan, the film tells the story of two neighboring families, one Russian, one Kazakh. Comity is broken when the Russian wife gives birth to a baby with Asian features. Hostility lasts for some 15 years.
Family lore and folk legends are slowly introduced that tell of the violence between Russians and Kazakhs over the previous century which account for the occurrence of children that do not closely resemble their parents.
One of the most appealing aspects about the movie is the depiction of folk life on the bleak steppes of eastern Kazakhstan – songs, dances, and puppet shows.
© 2019 Brian M Downing
Brian M Downing is a national security analyst who’s written for outlets across the political spectrum. He studied at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, and did post-graduate work at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs.