The River

On a vast plain in Kazakhstan, surrounded by mountaintops, Aslan and his younger brothers are put to work continuously by their strict father. They have no time for pleasure. The tight framing, elegant, symmetrical compositions and editing without soundtrack reflect the order and discipline on the remote farm. The only sound is that of the wind, the characters’ breathing and the few words that cross the plains.

In this last part of his Aslan Trilogy, Baigazin shows how a stream of images and sounds from animated pixels, computer game tunes and world news threatens to change this traditional lifestyle for good when a cousin from the city suddenly appears on a hoverboard.  Emir Baigazin uses the wild waters of the river where the boys seek distraction as a metaphor for the temptations brought by the cousin: television, tablet and video games penetrate the timeless bubble of the Kazakh countryside, apparently disrupting the old rhythms forever.

Trailer

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