Tulpan (2008)

Now there's a label that probably won't appear at the bottom of one of my posts for a while: Kazakhstan. For this is where the movie Tulpan was based and made, on the barren, desert-like steppe region. Curiously, it had a lot in common with a recent movie I've seen, well I say a lot, it included a massive flock of sheep - the difference being that here they weren't rabid killers. And this was not a parody, or a horror. Tulpan is a beautifully shot, simple story about Asa, a young man who his sister and her husband are determined to find a wife for, so that he can get a flock of his own and settle down in a family yurt with a farm. 

I spotted this movie in the Radio Times listings on Film4 a while ago, and thought that the 4 star review they gave it was intriguing, coupled with the fact I've never seen a Kazakh movie, and so I'm glad I took the chance. The glimpse into the Kazakh steppe-dwellers' culture was fascinating, watching the characters make food and tend for sheep, camels and donkeys, and just generally seeing how the different genders and ages interacted. There was a good vein of humour running through, which suprised me, such as when Asa's friend pulls out a poster of Charles and Diana to show to Tulpan's parents that Asa's ears are small compared to the 'American' Prince's. 

Tulpan, which I assume means tulip, although this was expressed explicitly, the character who gives the movie it's title, is only glimpsed a couple of times. She is the girl that Asa tries to be married off too, but she wants to go to the city, whereas Asa's dream is to stay and farm on the steppe. It's a dream that Asa's grumpy brother-in-law thinks will never happen as he doesn't consider Asa much of a farmer. It is Asa however who eventually birthes a live lamb, in a scene that would probably be a bit unsettling to someone who's never grown up on a farm - the actor is quite clearly helping a real sheep give birth to a real lamb, and then he's really giving the new born mouth to mouth. It's a bit grim for Western tastes, but these sheep are clearly these people's only livelihood. 

This tale of Kazakh farmers, unrequited love, and dreams was thought-provoking, touching, flawlessly acted and looked stunning. I hope to see more gems like this over the next few days.