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Kyrgyzstan|art & entertainment|July 5, 2021 / 11:17 AM
In search of Shambala - film review by Asian World Film Festival Co-founder and Managing Director Asel Sherniyazova

AKIPRESS.COM - The first film based on Chingiz Aitmatov's novella The White Ship was shot more than 40 years ago by the famous Kyrgyz director Bolot Shamshiev. When I first heard about Artyk Suyundukov's new film Shambala, also based on Aitmatov's story, I feared a remake of Shamshiev's film. However, the new version is not only dissimilar to the original, but portrays very different events to those described in the book. The general theme is the same but the chronology and events differ and it is set in modern-day Kyrgyzstan.

The title of the film is interesting. Shambala is the name of the main hero, a young seven-year-old boy. "Sham", in Kyrgyz, means "candle" and "bala" means "boy". Shambala is a boy who spreads light and positively amongst the people around him, his surroundings and the universe. At the same time, as is well known in Buddhistphilosophy, Shambala is a spiritual kingdom, invisible to human eyes, where desires are fulfilled and only pure hearts are able to find their way to it. According to the legends of Shambala, a great battle took place between the forces of good and the forces of evil, symbolizing the victory of wisdom and spirituality over ignorance, and self-assertion over egoism.

Kyrgyz film director Artyk Suyundukov has been working on Shambala for over 40 years. It is noteworthy that 20 years after the screening of Bolot Shamshiev's version, Suyundukov spoke with Chingiz Aitmatov about a remake and received his blessing, mainly due to the length of time which had passed since the first film was made. Interestingly, a number of years earlier, Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni had come to Kyrgyzstan to discuss plans to shoot a remake but Aitmatov refused to allow the project to go ahead.

Suyundukov, in one of his interviews, has said that, to some extent, the long period of realization of the idea actually benefits the film, as it gave him time to rethink the script and to view the story through the eyes of a man living in the 21st century.

Indeed, Shambala acquires an additional edge, due to its portrayal of the importance of cultural values and the loss of moral orientation. It also addresses ecology and the invasion of civilization, which may bring physical comfort and make life easier, but risks destroying the soul.

The acting of all the lead characters is very natural, but I would like to particularly single out the two actors who play the grandfather and grandson, Nasret Dubashev and Artura Amanaliev. Grandfather Momun is a very happy and well respected individual at the beginning of the film, but his personality changes as the film progresses and he becomes more dependent and eventually helpless towards the end. He reminded me of the characters from the Japanese animation works of Hayao Miyazaki, especially in the scene where he asks permission to cut down a tree from the Spirit of the forest.

Shambala is a kind, caring and sympathetic boy. Although emotionally mature for his years, his huge eyes are in constant search of a miracle and warmth. The helplessness of a small child or that of an old man - I do not know which is more depressing. The question of innocence evokes despair but the most significant punishment would be to become someone like Shambala's Uncle "Oroz kul" (hungry slave), a man who appears incapable of change and empathy, and instead demonstrates unpredictable, uncontrollable and often violent behavior. In the Upanishads religious texts it states that when even one blade of grass is cut, the whole universe quivers. So, in the film, Orozkul takes actions that ultimately ruin the lives of other people.

Special mention must be made of the outstanding camerawork. Shambala was one of the last films shot by cinematographer genius, Murat Aliyev (who died in 2020) and his protege, Akjol Bekbolotov, now one of the most talented and sought-after cameramen in Central Asia.

Throughout the film, images and delicate music often convey the story without the need for words, transporting the viewer into a meditative state. Nature is shown in its perceptive simplicity and is a delight even for the most demanding of filmgoers: a fabulous living forest and its flowing water representing a fast-moving stream of life and change, towering mountains serving as indifferent witnesses of good and evil and the sky dominating the landscape with its infinite immensity.

I was very impressed by Shambala's sound editing and mixing. Natural tones of nature intertwine with the noise of a car, an excavator and a saw, which changes the emotional background throughout the course of the whole movie, playing a large role in the film's strength and power.

The story is told very delicately, without unnecessary explanations, through the use of meaningful metaphors and symbols, such as semantic receptions, yurts, invasion, fire and a cradle. I really liked the appearance of the Mother Deer in the forest as if it gives the film effervescence and a sense of mythology. For Shambala, a boy of light, the deer has returned to the forest in order to save and protect the tribe. However, for Orozkul, a man with no heart, it is just a fairytale.

People have the right to change and decide who they want to be, yet not everyone will succeed. However, does everyone have the chance to change and achieve "Shambala" at any stage of life? That is the eternal question.

 

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