2008
Comedy
Russia
First Run Features
R1 DVD
Reviewer:
Bob Estreich
Subtitled
in English
High
in the Caucasus mountains of Europe is a little village peopled by descendants
of the valiant fighters who stopped the Mongol invaders many centuries ago.
Water is precious here and the village water supply comes through an old and
rickety pipeline from an underground river in a cave higher up in the
mountains. This pipeline was built a long time ago at the cost of a number of
lives and now it is rusted and damaged. The water supply is drying up. The men
of the village are, well, not exactly lazy, but would rather spend their days
in the tearoom discussing their prowess with their women than fix the pipeline.
The women carry on as best they can. Life in the village is slow but not
unpleasant, until the water finally stops flowing. Even then the men will not
fix the pipeline, but resort to all sorts of desperate measures to substitute
for water. The village gradually becomes dirty and its people begin to smell.
A
young couple, Aya and Temelko, are to marry the next time the constellations of
Virgo and Sagittarius appear in the sky. Before this can happen Ava and her
grandmother lead the women in a revolt against the men – no water, no sex.
Since Temelko is the only mechanically-minded person in the village it will be
up to him to fix the pipeline, restore the water, and defuse the revolt. He is
willing to do this but first he must overcome the stubbornness of the men who
will not give in to the women. Their very masculinity is at stake here.
The
conflict that follows is a battle of wills, guile, and cheating to get past the
ban. It looks like Temelko and Aya’s marriage may not take place as the
constellations are now in alignment. They will only stay this way for six days
and as it comes down to the last day it will take all Temelko’s skills to not
only get the water running again but to reconcile the men and the women.
Veit
Helmer has directed a wonderful little low-key comedy that shows beautifully
the simple lives and surroundings of the mountain people. He takes a sly dig at
the habit of the men treating the women as little more than slaves, but does so
in a way that suggests that everyone is content with the arrangement most of
the time. The closeness of the villagers is well brought out as is their happy
nature in what should be a harsh and depressing environment. Perhaps Giorgi
Beridze’s skilled cinematography is what makes the difference here. He shows
the mountain country in its harsh, dry reality, but softens the picture with
the clear golden light.
It
took Helmer some years to find the right location for the film until he looked
at the little village of Lahic in Azerbaijan. Its old buildings and cobbled
streets are perfect for the mood of the film. The isolation of the village
raised special problems. Into a village of around 70 people he had to fit a
film crew of an extra 90. Everything had to be brought in over roads that were
often impassable. Even set builders had to be taught first, because Azerbaijan
does not have a film industry.
The
film is very visual so it works with a surprisingly small amount of dialogue
and subtitling. Temelko narrates a little of the story to get it going but
after that it largely supports itself. This requires a lot more skill of the
actors but they do it well. The lack of snappy dialogue doesn’t hinder the film
– rather, it enhances the simple nature of the comedy.
Absurdistan
is a sweet, happy little comedy about the battle of the sexes. It’s a love
story, it verges a little on the absurd, but you know it will all turn out OK
in the end. I loved it.
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This
review will appear in Volume 2 No.5
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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