Kaïrat

Kaïrat, 1992

Kazakhstan | 35mm, Black & White, 72’ | Kazakhstani
Director: Darezhan Omirbayev

This virtually wordless story is about a young man’s transition from his village in the steppes of Kazakhstan to life in the big city. Kaïrat arrives in the city by train, goes to the movies, and roams in the streets. There is something poetic about each moment in this film, a feeling of being suspended somewhere between dream and reality in each frame. While it conveys the disappointment and confusion of confronting the big city, at the same time it offers a political analysis of society. Despite the influence of Ozu and Bresson, this first feature by Omirbayev,a key figure in the Kazakh New Wave, succeeds in creating its very own universe. The film won the Silver Leopard at the Locarno Film Festiva