Khadak

Excellent film. It's visually sublime, very spiritual and incredibly stirring. Admittedly, the long, quiet shots resemble Jia's cinema, Byambasuren's semi-documentaries and even Tarkovsky, but it doesn't curtail the power of the images one bit. Those are shots of a faraway, hence fascinating world (Inner Mongolia) where the people have a way rougher ride than us Central Europeans - we who are living in a "well organized" society. I don't mean those who still live under same conditions as their ancestors thousands of years ago. They seem to be perfectly happy, much more than us. I mean those people who are forced to adjust to a system they don't know and where they either stand or fall. Most of them fall once they are robbed of their lives with all that's left is emptiness and boredom. The film is about the loss of the spiritual soul, about cutting off roots and about ruining ancient cultures. There is just one little objection: Maybe it would have been more effective if a local had made the film instead of Europeans, because this way it remains to be a view from the outside.

The reviewer of this film from Holland provides an excellent perspective of this film as an experiment in art. As an anthropologist familiar with Mongolian nomadic culture and the historical background of the horrible collectivizing results of the Maoist government of the PRC on the population of inner Mongolia where thousands died due to the heavy handed and incompetent Maoist policies, I can certainly relate to the subtext of the story of Khadak. As a film, the organization of the storyline leaves much to be desired and does have an amateurish feel to it. However, the portrait of the Mongol people in this film against the bleak background of the steppes where they've lived for centuries and the shoddy, bleak living complex and mining facility to where they've been relocated, is quite striking. The faces of the actors in long and short still shots adds to this effect. Personally, I find the Mongols to be a strikingly beautiful people with a unique history ranging from great conquest to severe abuse under both Chinese and Soviet hegemony. In this context, I find this little film to be quite good in spite of its shortcomings.

I have just seen this film, and my opinion of it is mixed.

On the one hand, the film gives a detailed and intimate view of Mongolian life, especially in the first part; moreover, there is a strong political message behind it, which leads to some disturbing and powerful images (nothing too shocking).

On the other hand, everything is filmed in such a tediously slow manner that it becomes either mesmerizing or simply boring. Unfortunately, in my case, the whole audience including myself were not mesmerized. Moreover, toward the ending, the film becomes more and more surreal, which for me personally did not lead to a satisfied feeling at the actual end.

All in all, if you enjoy watching empty lands and silent people for a long time, you may be able to enjoy the positive aspects of this film. If, like me, you like films with at least the outline of a well-defined story and the feeling that you somehow understood what you just saw, this might not be the film for you.

Introducing a young Tsetsegee Byamba wth great acting ability.

Magical realism, epilepsy, and the steppes of Mongolia.

A pilot dies. His son Bagi, who, like his father, has epilepsy, grows up on the steppes, herding sheep, subject to fits. A plague among the animals forces the family off their land to a city where Bagi gets a mining job.

His seizures become more frequent and bring visions in this wasteland of strip mining, factories, and rubble. He falls in with a troupe of student performers after saving the life of one of their number.

As the crisis of his people deepens - herders without flocks - Bagi uses the visions to seek direction. Can he save his people, and can he find love?

This film is not meant for the audience that seeks light entertainment and action. It's a film of extreme visual beauty. Its aesthetics sometimes resemble one of Angelopoulos, with its long shots of great complexity. For those unfamiliar with the culture of Mongolia, this can be a great and refreshing experience. Main actors, who had no professional experience before this film, are so natural in their roles. Movies are about making people think and not lecturing them. This one is all about that: making you think. About the past, tradition, change of generations and what future is yet to bring. I highly recommend this film. It's a striking piece of art and a rewarding experience.