Breaking-up of the former USSR (Soviet Union) was big news here in Kerala back in the eighties. The political result may be good or bad (it certainly depends on how you look at it). But it has certainly a boon for the film lover. The number of good films from the former Soviet republics would emphatically vouch for that.
Today, I saw two more lovely films from Kyrgyzstan, The Light Thief, directed by Aktan Arym Kubat, who also plays the lead role, and Saratan, directed by Ernest Abdyjaparov. I had already written about The Adopted Son, directed by Aktan Abdikalikov, a delightful neorealist film about the childhood days of an adopted boy. These three directors are pioneering something like a film new wave in the country, as the sheer quality of these films indicate.
The Light Thief
This is the debut movie of the director. It deals with the life of an electrician, who is known as Mr. Light, in a remote village in Kyrgyzstan. He is extremely popular in the village, as he helps the poor by making the electric meter run in the reverse direction, so that the poor people do not need to pay the electricity bill. But soon authorities found this out and terminated his services. But he still has his innovative ideas, such as generating electric power from windmills. He has even constructed a miniature windmill in front of his house. The laidback life in the windy, mountainous village faces a challenge when an ambitious city-born politician tries to procure lands in the village.
Initially, he manages to impress the villagers with his new ideas, especially Mr. Light. But soon, our hero realizes the dangers of siding with the politician and refuses to co-operate with him. Troubles start then for him, leading to a poignant climax. The film touches different shades of human emotions and many of the contemporary issues, such as globalization, political changes, and exploitation.
Saratan
It is another film that depicts the lazy, laidback life in Kyrgyz villages. The same locations that appear in The Light Thief appear in this film too: lovely fields, mountains as backdrops, and dusty roads. This is a more like a black comedy than a realistic drama. You find a number of characters with curious habits: a Mayor, whom nobody bribes, a womanizing police man, a thief who commits suicide after losing a duel with the police man, a political rebel who still has faith in Communism, a preacher who tries to spread Christian religion, a mullah who is always late for the morning prayers, a rich man who tries to take control of the land, and a bunch of alcoholic villagers.
The film portrays the life in a village which is crippled by neglect of the state and economic crisis. The Mayor sums up the political situation of the region nicely, when he says, “Earlier people used to depend on the government for money; now government depends on the people for money”.
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