Bolotbek Shamshiyev
Sultanmurat is a 14 year old boy who lives in a small Kyrgyz village. All the men have gone off to war so he is left alone to tend to the horses who are weak with hunger.
Longing to discover his father, a sad young boy dreams of becoming a fish and swimming to the great white ship he sees traversing Lake Issyk. Lost in his dreams, and buoyed by the pagan tales of his Central Asian grandfather, he feels a close communion with nature: so much so that when a hunter kills a stag, he too takes a final, liberating leap.
Directed by Bolotbek Shamshiyev, the movie shows Kyrgyzstan under early Soviet rule; and tells us about opium contrabanda across the border.
About the Kirghiz aristocracy's attempt to battle the influx of Russian merchants in pre-Revolution days.
Tien-Shan, 1966. For the first time in 13 years, winter duration is six months. Sheep in the mountains are hungry for grass on the sunny slopes. The state is taking urgent measures to save hundreds of thousands of wintering animals. But still...