THE “WORLD’S” OPINION – MUST SEE
Wide shots of the immense plateaus of Mongolia, with gentle slopes populated by yurts. It is here that high school student Zé (Tergel Bold-Erdene), 17, lives with his parents and sister, on the outskirts of the capital, Ulaanbaatar. The adolescent, who divides his existence between studies and shamanism, is on all levels ofA young shamanfirst feature film by Mongolian director and screenwriter Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, born in 1989.
We will sometimes see him in a suit and tie at school, where authoritarian teachers are rampant, sometimes wearing his mask and traditional outfit when he comes into contact with his ancestors, or even in jeans and jacket like thousands of other young people. His performance, his ability to absorb tiny sparks in his eyes earned him the prize for best interpretation at the Venice Film Festival in 2023, in the parallel Orizzonti section, where the film was presented.
Interior tumult
Zé assumes these different identities without flinching, like a good family boy who gets the job done, while his sister doesn’t hide her desire to throw everything away. Until the day when Zé meets a girl he likes: Maralaa (Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba) suffers from a heart disease, and her mother requests a shamanism session before the surgical procedure that the teenager must undergo. With desire growing, Zé loses control and his ability to contact his spiritual “grandfathers”. But he runs immediately as soon as one of his people calls for help, like a country doctor traveling through the centuries.
We imagine the continuation of the scenario, somewhat expected, which seeks to explore the contradictory emotions assailing the young man. Make love, drink and go out until late in the morning? Or stay on the path traced by the community? The film’s photography, signed by Vasco Viana, accompanies this inner tumult, notably during a shot, otherwise very beautiful, where Zé’s face is crossed by shadows and lights to the rhythm of strobes, in a nightclub . The “disco boy” no longer knows where he lives, dreams of modernity and high-tech towers sprouting up in the city center. We will see him dye his hair, wear it shaved, let it grow, each time displaying this touching pride in experiencing a new birth.
Beyond this colorful portrait, which would undoubtedly have deserved more letting go, the filmmaker captures the boredom of a youth who has no other horizon than to work, to complete their studies – only a few characters take a step aside, like Zé’s sister, as well as Maralaa, who reflects on what she deeply desires. In Mongolia, between China and Russia, young people are tired even before finishing high school, explains the director.
You have 17.64% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.