Business en Absurdistan

This was a terrific documentary, though you have to get its sense of humor to enjoy it. The point of the film is to show how ridiculous these big international companies make themselves by doing anything and everything to flatter the dictator of Turkmenistan and help support his regime. The film is very funny, and it really brings out the hypocrisy of these corporations. At the same time, you get a strong sense of how the people in Turkmenistan are being oppressed by their government, and how the corporations help this oppression by making public statements in support of the government. The film also does a nice job of showing the surreal world that the dictator created for himself. I laughed all the way through.

We're taken on quite a weird little trip with this documentary. All the way to Turkmenia (aka Turkmenistan), one of the world's seemingly most-isolated country. Only in fact, the leader and his sycophants do quite a bit of international business. This invite is often apparently staged by foreign companies offering to translate a strange and legendary "spiritual book" written by the late Sapamurat Niyazov. We see more of big business than usual, as well as some re-enacted Turkmen propaganda. I wish this would've delved a bit more into the contents of the "Ruhnama", as it is quite a delirious, rambling, dizzying book (containing the history and spiritual concepts, cultural artifacts and values of the Turkmen people----according to Niyazov). However, this documentary packs a lot into its short run time. Quite a story told here, with plenty of ethical questions to consider.