There is a saying that the world’s great writers actually write about the same subject all the time but with different approaches. If that were applied to cinema, Harutyun Khachatryan would certainly be one of the greats. Khachatryan always returns to the things he admires: the people of his country, Armenia, and their way of life, the beautiful landscapes and the magic of nature. In Border, which was inspired by a real life story he himself witnessed, Khachatryan reflects on the tragedy that befell his people during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the 1990s after the Soviet Union fell apart. He does so without words or indeed human protagonists, through the story of a buffalo who is found stuck in a ditch in the countryside. He is brought to a nearby farm where animals, farmers and refugees are gathered to hide and recover from the conflict. All regard him with great suspicion. We follow life on the farm and in the surrounding villages through the eyes of the buffalo over the course of a year, with the changing of the seasons and the slow rhythm of the place. Khachatryan has established himself firmly in the forefront of the fascinating cinema tradition of Armenia, and indeed the whole region. With its original story and harmony of image and sound, Border shows the craft and art of this great contemporary Armenian cinema author. (LC)
