Han yu

The freezing environment of a depopulated Chechen village during the harsh winter months is in stark contrast to the warmth of a traditional, Slavic, country home where a mother lives with her daughter and tabby cat. Everyday activities and simple rituals like embroidering, watching television, or shelling sunflower seeds can easily be disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a former resident who returns to her native village after a long period of absence. This aesthetically pleasing and captivating film calmly introduces the viewer to the simple life of Chechen peasants, acting as a melancholic suspension of modern, hectic times that have hardly affected the protagonists in the film.

“In my camerawork, I like to play with light and silhouettes. This comes from the time when I was still living in Chechnya. In the evenings, we had to turn off all the lights to avoid snipers and bombings. As army trucks passed by, their headlamps shined against the walls, forming intriguing shadows.” Z. Kourazov, Interview 2018