Die Flügel der Menschen

"Centaur" has earned his nickname because of his obsession with myths about horses. But his obsession goes well beyond his faith in these mostly forgotten, ridiculed stories. Unbeknownst to anyone, he steals horses at night, rides them as fast as he can, and then lets them go.

This is a minimalist but wonderfully engaging film, with rich characters and nice visuals. Centaur is a great character: He's happy with his mute wife and their son (who is 4 years old but hasn't spoken yet) he's not interested in wealth, a bigger house, or anything his rich brother has. He's content with his life, and other than his wife and kid, his only interest is horses, which "once were the wings of warriors, the men who rode them."

The film makes quite a few references to life in modern Kyrgyzstan, where tradition and the 21st century coexist, and they are quite interesting. But these references all happen in the background, and the focus is always the story and characters. Which is a quality sadly missing from most modern films.

This is not a film for action or Hollywood fans, but anyone who's first and foremost interested in story and characters in cinema, will find Centaur a delight.