Beshkempir (1998)

Beshkempir: Directed by Aktan Arym Kubat. With Mirlan Abdykalykov, Adir Abilkassimov, Mirlan Cinkozoev, Bakit Dzhylkychiev. In a Kyrgyz village, five older women adopt an infant foundling. Jump ahead about 12 years: the boy, Beshkempir, is entering puberty, the age, his granny says, when life goes berserk. He plays with friends, horsing around, sniggering about sex, going to an outdoor movie. He works, fishing and making bricks of mud. And, he’s starting to notice girls. He and his best friend fight, and he learns to his consternation that he’s a foundling. A death in the family pushes Beshkempir even faster toward adult roles: he must brush tears from his eyes, lead a funeral procession, and reconcile with his friend. Then, he borrows a bicycle and calls on Aynura: courtship begins.

“This movie is interesting primarily because it is a Kyrgyzstani film, and as such it offers a few interesting glimpses of Kyrgyz culture and rituals – particularly those around death after the passing of Beshkempiru0026#39;s mother. Aside from that, I didnu0026#39;t find a whole lot to get excited about in this pretty straightforward coming of age story. Beshkempir is the title character – a boy adopted as a baby by a childless couple, but who has never been told heu0026#39;s adopted. Heu0026#39;s treated with a strange mix of contempt and acceptance by the other boys of his village (who know the secret) and even by his own father, although by the end of the movie Beshkempir and his father seem to have sorted out their relationship. Eventually, in a competition for the attentions of a local girl, Beshkempiru0026#39;s secret comes out, and the entire village has to come to terms with it. The movie is filmed mostly in black and white with occasional bursts of colour popping in. It didnu0026#39;t really take hold of me. Overall, a disappointment. 3/10”