Border

Colour, 35 mm
Armenia, Netherlands, 2009, 82 min
Section: Another View

Synopsis

The air vibrates with the echoes of war, a large area is closed off with a humming metal wire fence. An Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan left to fend for itself, relying on humanitarian aid. The silent commentary on the fate of a border community is mediated by a lost buffalo rescued from a lakeside ditch. The men tend their cattle, sheep and goats, the women milk the animals and make cheese. They take their meals in a smoke-filled outdoor kitchen. Summer gives way to autumn, and the winter merely changes the rhythm of their work and the animal’s manner of existence. The buffalo tries to find its way out onto the rocky plain, but is trapped by wire fencing. A man has finished building his house and gets married in the nearby church. Neighbours accompany the wedding guests to the building’s stone ruins. At Christmas families sit down to a humble feast. During the night the barns and haylofts catch fire; the buffalo finally runs free…The suggestive images of a war-torn landscape arise from observations of a martyred land, bewildered animals and people who, in spite of their circumstances, have not lost their sense of a dignity anchored in tradition. The director filters the rawness of his testimony through empathic reflection.

About the director

Harutyun Khachatryan (b. 1955, Akhalkalak, Georgia) graduated in film direction in 1981 from the Teaching Institute in Yerevan, where he is now a teacher. He made the documentary films The Voices of the District (Mer taghi dzaynere, 1981), Hosted by the Commander (Hyurenkalelov hramanatarin, 1985), Chronicle of a Case (Mi eghelutyan khronika, 1985), Three Rounds from Vladimir Yengibaryan’s Life (Erek raund engibariani kyankic, 1986), Kond (1987), White Town (Spitak kaghak, 1988) and Return to the Promised Land (Veradardz avetyats erkir, 1991). His documentary style is also evident in his feature films The Wind of Emptiness (Kamin unaynutyan, 1990), The Last Station (Verjin kayaran, 1994), Documentarist (Vaveragrogh, 2003 – Special Mention at the Karlovy Vary IFF), Return of the Poet (Poeti veradardze, 2005) and, most recently, in the film Border.