简介：Saratanisafilmmadein2005bytheKyrgyzdirectorErnestAbdyjaparov,withfinancialassistancefromGermany,anddistributedintheWestbyaGermancompany. ThefilmwasmademorethantenyearsafterthedemiseoftheSovietUnion-whenthevarioussocialistrepublicssuddenlyfoundthemselveswithunexpectedindependence–whichbroughtwithitaneconomicmalaisefollowingthewithdrawalofMoscow’ssubsidies,andanideologicalvacuumwhichtogetherleftKyrgyzstananditsneighbouringCentralAsianrepublicsfacingeconomichardshipsandsocialupheavals. ItcentersonthelivesofpeopleinonesmallKyrgyzvillage,asnapshotoflifewithhappyandsadelementssidebyside.Itcanalsobeseen,however,asprovidingacommentonthecountry’shistory,societyandcultureintheperiodfollowingindependence,“wheretheaveragecitizenisstrugglingwithasheerinsurmountablenumberofdifficulties.” Fourteenyearsintoindependence,thereareseveralthingsthatjustdon’tseemtoworkinthissmallKyrgyzvillage:thefarmsarenotworking;thepeoplearepoorwithoutprospectsforabetterfuturealthoughafew“rich”peoplehavebenefited–tothedisadvantageoftheaveragevillager,employmentisvirtuallynon-existantandthelittlemoneythatisearnedis,alltoooften,spentonvodka. Morethan40characterspopulatethefilmandprovideakaleidoscopeofpersonalstoriesandrelationships.Amongstthemare:drunkards,thieves,philanderers,hypocrites,adulterers,layabouts,amaliciousjester,ashaman,acheatingwife,amullahwhooversleepsandhastorushtoconductmorningprayersinwhichno-oneseemstotakeaninterest,atrafficpolicemandirectingnon-existentrush-hourtrafficinthevillagesquare,thelocalmayorstrugglingtocopewithanapatheticcommunityinwhichseemstotakehimseriously,aJehovah’sWitnessmissionarywhofindsanavidintheCommunistdie-hardastheyshareaprisoncell,acattlethiefandhisfamilywhoutteranIslamicprayerfusedwithnomadicgestureswhenslaughteringastolenlamb The“heroes”ofthefilm,however,arethe“Kyrgyzpeople”–who,despitethetrialsandtribulationsofeverydaylifeinadepressedeconomy,neverthelessmanagetoovercomethemandfindwaystocopewiththeapparenthopelessnessoftheirsituation. Twophrasesusedbyreviewersindescribingitare:”ahappy-sadsnapshot”and“tragicomictalesofpolitics,tradition,modernity,prideandhonour”.Thehumourisunderlinedbyaelementsofsatire,cynicism,self-mockery,asenseofabsurdityandoccasionalmomentsof“slapstick”. Itwasmadeonasmallbudget–justUSD120,000–andhasbeenshowninanumberoffilmfestivalsinBerlin,California,Cardiff,LondonandMarakesh–whereitwasthe“GoldenStar”prize,andinRussiawhereithasalsowonprizes. Abdyjaparovsays:“Asfarascontextisconcerned,thisfilmisaboutdifficultiesofKyrgyzstanforthelast10yearsafteritbecameindependentfromtheSovietUnion.Ishowedit[thehistoryofKyrgyzstan]throughasmallKyrgyzvillage,itshistory,people,social,economicandevenphilosophicalissuesanddevelopments.Itriedtoshowthewholecountry’sfatebyshowingonevillage,”.…