Kazakhstan,
1998, 78 min
Shown in 1999
CREDITS
- dir
-
Serik Aprymov
- prod
-
Gulmira Aprymova, Shinju Sano
- scr
-
Serik Aprymov
- cam
-
Boris Troshev
- editor
-
Dina Bersugurova
- cast
-
Sabit Kurmanbekov, Ershan Ahim, Erbolat Ospankulov
- source
-
World Source: Shinju Sano, 105, 5-1 Nihonbashi-Nakasu, Chuo-ku, 103-0008 Tokyo, Japan. FAX: 81-3-3662-0102. EMAIL: studio-d@ma.kcom.ne.jp
-
COMMENTS
Serik Aprymov in person.
OTHER
Serik Aprymov’s tale of very different brothers allegorizes the struggle between two cultures—one urban, one rural—and two languages—Russian and Kazakh—for control over the identity and integrity of Kazakhstan. A man’s quiet village life is disrupted when his younger brother (and the brother’s beautiful, pregnant wife) suddenly arrives from the city, intent on escaping from his mafia creditors. Set apart by his use of Russian, which the townspeople cannot understand, and by his loose playboy nature, the younger man cannot adapt to the slower, more tranquil nature of the village. Borrowing money from his older brother, he leaves his wife there and sets off in one last, desperate attempt to save himself from the mob. Exposing the wide gap between urban and rural communities, Aprymov avoids simple clichés in favor of revealing, nuanced portrayals of tension and misunderstanding. But it’s more than a conflict between two brothers: The film exposes the effects of 70 years of Soviet domination. Imposing the Russian language and eliminating Kazakh in the cities, the Soviets linguistically isolated the urban population from the outlying areas, creating a country and a people divided—a gulf the film implies is still deeply, painfully felt.
FACTOID #202
At the 1978 SFIFF, Paul Mazursky received a tribute at the Palace of Fine Arts. Apparently, the facility’s janitorial staff had not been notified, and the padlocked doors of the Palace had to be cut so the filmmaker and his audience could be let in.
