Thursday, July 19, 2007

Khadak

I went to see a film about Mongolia the other day, called "Khadak". I had a feeling I might not be able to understand it fully, so I decided beforehand I wasn't going to try. It was a moving film, and it was beautifully filmed. I heard it described as visual poetry, and that is what it was. Some of the images made a great impression, like the way the film opens, a beautiful picture of a young woman counting. There are images of a tree on the plain, filmed in such a special way. You can feel the sadness of the film, the alienation, the depression of the city. I felt connected to the characters, even in such a strange environment.

A few years ago I was given a small pouch by someone who had just visited Mongolia, and in this film I saw that this has a special purpose. The men in the film shared a small flask, and that was kept in just such a pouch. Nice to know.

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