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The little use of music and sporadic humour in Adilkhan Yerzhanov's dull drama aspiring to be energetic, The Gentle Indifference of the World, are all that I enjoyed. The tale of two countryside people moving to the city in search of hope for themselves is a cliche but director Yerzhanov carves it in a way that evokes a sense of merriment in the light of despair. One of these people is in a complicated situation more than the other, and that is the start of the conflict that The Gentle Indifference of the World probably boasts about. The colour scheme and the impressive sound mixing kept me up as I struggled to complete this slow-moving drama that is not exactly about not giving up but about losing your way in the city (filled with other people who only care about money) while trying to find yourself. It's a critique of the cityside where innocence either gets killed or gets transformed into evil. And there is not much need for you to put your head into this mess that is projected one frame at a time. TN.

(Watched and reviewed at its India premiere at the 20th MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)