Beshkempir

When I was first watching this movie, I was reminded of Fellini's "Armacord," because it seemed to be more poetic and atmospheric in nature than driven by a narrative structure. I soon realized that it was not so much the collage sort of film that Fellini had made of his reminiscence of his childhood, but that there was a narrative to "Beshkempir." This film is wonderfully acted, filmed, and edited, and it incorporates the sounds of nature to great effect. As other reviewers have written, the film's pace is "slow," but deliberately so. It gives the viewer time to soak in the landscape, feel familiar with the village and its surroundings, and get to "know" the characters as well as the traditions of the village. It is a peak into the world of Kygystan, which was my first ever, and I envied the closeness of the villagers and the rich life they live with only the most essential of material things.

This is a coming of age film, but one done in a way that has made it one of my favorite movies of all time. Not enough people in the world will ever know of it, even though it ranks among the best of works by filmmakers like Truffeat, Bergman, and Rohmer, all favorite directors of mine for years.

This movie is interesting primarily because it is a Kyrgyzstani film, and as such it offers a few interesting glimpses of Kyrgyz culture and rituals - particularly those around death after the passing of Beshkempir's mother. Aside from that, I didn't find a whole lot to get excited about in this pretty straightforward coming of age story. Beshkempir is the title character - a boy adopted as a baby by a childless couple, but who has never been told he's adopted. He's treated with a strange mix of contempt and acceptance by the other boys of his village (who know the secret) and even by his own father, although by the end of the movie Beshkempir and his father seem to have sorted out their relationship. Eventually, in a competition for the attentions of a local girl, Beshkempir's secret comes out, and the entire village has to come to terms with it. The movie is filmed mostly in black and white with occasional bursts of colour popping in. It didn't really take hold of me. Overall, a disappointment. 3/10

Not only is this film visually beautiful, shot in black and white with occasional scenes in color depicting the rural village where the film is set and its ancient rituals and traditions, but Abdykalykov also succeeds in telling us the story of Beshkempir, a boy who discovers his adoption, and the transition he makes from a child to a young adult. Strongly recommended.

When the USSR dissolved, the separated countries struggled to find their own identities. Many of them failed to emerge victoriously from this struggle and vanished from the world of art and literature... Kyrgyzstan is in a different position. Kyrgyz filmmakers like Aktan Abdykalykov (also known as Aktan Arym Kubat), who were trying to find their own cinematic language after the USSR, created a Kyrgyz New Wave in the world of cinema. Yes, due to its location and economic strength, Kyrgyzstan does not have a very productive cinema, but they still make themselves known from time to time.

"Beshkempir," a coming-of-age story, tells its tale in a highly engaging language thanks to the tremendous success of its cinematographer, Khassan Kydyraliev.

For reasons unknown, Noé Production has not restored and re-released the films in its possession, and as a result, many films belonging to this production company, despite being magnificent cinematic works, remain underrated.

This movie has a great peace. It shows that materialism is something we hang onto too much. The atmosphere of the movie is breathtaking. There's not that much happening in the movie but that doesn't make it less interesting. The black and white and colored sequences are beautifully interacting.

8 out of 10.