Luna Papa

The film is a pre-Enlightenment allegory, or the description of one thing under the guise of another. Certainly not social utopianism or realism. The young woman tempts the mortal laws by defying custom and the material world. She wants to follow her spirit and a craving for Shakespeare and the world of Orpheus. She is compelled to bring forth the child . . . or the longing of her soul. She suffers various hardships and adventures on her journey, sometimes comically and ineptly aided by her hapless buffoon father and idiot-savant brother. Only when she leaves the earth can the mysterious birth occur in the coupling of the female with the male.

I really enjoyed this movie. A great tragicomedy! True to form, the story is great and unusual written by Irakli Kvirikadze. The story has multiple layers, so I recommend one more viewing to grasp its richness. I highly recommend seeing other films written by Kvirikadze. His screenplays are very enjoyable with layers of complexities. Most recent is 27 missing kisses directed by his wife Nana Djordjadze. He collaborated often with his wife. A Chef in Love (american release 1996) was one such film that was nominated for the Academy Awards in 1997. A feast for the eyes. Irakli Kvirikadze was first known for both his writing and directing.His films were repeatedly banned in the 80s and 90s during Soviet rule. Today he is known simultaneously as the Fellini of post-soviet cinema and the leader in post-soviet renaissance.

This movie reminds strongly of some movies of the director Emir Kusturica. It takes places in an ex-soviet republic in Central Asia. It shows to which extent it became chaotic there after the fall of the soviet union. It is full of contradictories and bizarre happenings. A family is looking for a wandering actor who made its daughter pregnant. During this search many crazy things occur and the end is even crazier. Nevertheless it is very interesting. Sometimes it is very funny and some other times it is sad. It shows also the conditions in which people in this zone of the world are living. It reminds strongly of the movies of Emir Kusturica about Yugoslavia or it's former republics.

This is the story of 17-year old Mamlakat, a quite innocent girl from somewhere in the deserts of Tadshikistan. One evening, she sleeps with a stranger, an unknown actor of a traveling theater group, obviously not knowing about the consequences this might have. She never sees his face and - gets pregnant. In the following, she and her family search for the unknown father.

It's the unborn child who tells the story from the off, and the whole movie is as crazy and absurd like this. Drawn in mighty, impressive pictures, the movie is as strange as the landscape it takes place in.

Everything fits together perfectly: the story, the actors (especially Chulpan Khamatova as Mamlakat and Moritz Bleibtreu as her brother Nasreddin) and the "special" effects.

Let the story and the pictures go directly to your brain, like a colorful dream you are dreaming and can't get out. Don't block yourself with "logic" and so-called "intelligence", don't worry about crazy things that could never ever be, and you will love this unique movie!

I may recommend this movie for those who has a great enjoy of life. The music in the movie is the music of life. The movie itself shows the truth in the life, the truth which is difficult to correct or let me say, to change. Th life in the deserts like Farkhor is very difficult. I myself spend my life in such conditions. For those who never experienced this life maybe the movie is a bit funny. But for me, I didn't notice any comedy, but rather tragedy. Yes, the tragedy of the usual lie of Tajiks.

The movie is in Tajik/Russian language. However it is written that the movie is in Russian only.

Daler Nazarov is great in choosing composition. Long live Bakhtiyar Khudaynazarov!!!