Saratan

Colour, 35 mm
Kirghizstan, Germany, 2005, 84 min
Section: East of the West - competitive

Synopsis

Kabylbek, the mayor of a small Kirghiz municipality, finds himself in an unenviable situation: he administrates a village whose inhabitants seem like figures from some humorous puppet performance. The ‘cast’ features traditional characters — boozers, thieves, swindlers, womanizers, a cheating wife, a shaman, and an unwittingly malicious jester. Other, modern characters include a nouveau riche and various political agitators. On top of this unmanageable mess, post- Soviet ideological chaos reigns in town as well. At a total loss, Kabylbek almost succumbs to the persuasions of a Jehovah’s Witness who, at that moment, is struggling to get a word in edgewise with an indignant communist. It seems that no one takes the mayor seriously, but, in the end, it is he who pulls his fellow citizens out of lethargy. This debut work is attractive for its clever naïve stylisation in the portrayal of the colourful village community, and for its intelligent humour hovering between subtle caricature and grotesque social depiction.

About the director

Ernest Abdyshaparov (b. 1961, Bishkek, Kirghizstan) graduated from the Institute of Russian Language and Culture, then taught for five years. Beginning in 1988 he worked as a production assistant for Kirghiz Film Studios, and was involved at the same time in the conception of a satirical movie magazine. He later edited various films and assistant directed, debuting as an independent director in 1993. Saratan (2004) is his feature film debut.