In his latest film, Kazakh New Wave film director Serik Aprymov returns to the theme that has fascinated him ever since the beginning of his career: country life in the steppes of Kazakhstan. Having spent his childhood in an aul (a village on the steppe), Aprymov regards himself more as a man of nature than of the city. He often deals with the subject of the aul, portraying its people and tracing the subtle social changes taking place there. He clearly respects these people, but nonetheless chooses to capture them in all their intrinsic human weaknesses, dispelling all nationalistic and idealistic myths in the process. 12-year-old Erken is living with his single mother, a provocative, local beauty. One day, a hunter comes from the steppe and spends the night with his mother. In an act of rebellion, the boy steals the hunter’s horse and his weapon, and plunders a local shop. To avoid Erken’s imprisonment and to help his mother, the hunter takes the boy away with him into the wild. What follows is a wonderful voyage of initiation to the hunter’s way of life and the secrets of nature, as well as the boy’s journey to manhood. In a legend-like style, Aprymov sensitively shows the eternal closeness between man and nature, as well as their eternal conflict. As usual, the director does this with sympathy for his characters as well as a touch of humour. (LC)
