Little Brother

"Bauyr" (Little Brother) fulfills the promise of world cinema--it takes you on a trip to an unfamiliar region, is filmed in a contemplative (but not punishing) manner, and embraces both unforced humor and genuine sadness. It will remind viewers of the neorealist classics of De Sica--it shares the theme of the callous exploitation of innocence--while its final shot echoes "The 400 Blows."

Yerkin (Almat Galym, giving a beautifully upfront performance) is a young boy living in a distant village of Kazakhstan...by himself. Mom is long gone, dad is "away on a business trip," and his big brother Aidos is studying in the big city. Yerkin fends for himself, making bricks and tending sheep, and though he's an industrious little trooper, he's young enough for the locals to take advantage of him. An impending visit from Aidos gives hope, but it's the little brother who ultimately shows greater maturity and character.

Serik Aprimov's direction gives a vivid sense of place--the evocative steppes sweep into pockets of village greenery, and near-surreal moments arise due to the village's limited resources. Aprimov presents village life with a tone that is folksy but stringent. Despite his age, Yerkin is a pillar of his little community, but the townsfolk are too venal to appreciate his efforts.

I was somewhat conflicted about the end, whose final musical cue felt sentimental. Yet it undeniably gathers the emotions of the preceding 96 minutes to devastating effect. No list of classic films about children will be complete without "Bauyr," a tribute to the resilience and secret loneliness of childhood.