Documentarist Sergey Dvortsevoy makes an estimable feature debut with this charmingly absurdist-realist tale of the Kazakh steppe. Askhat Kuchinchirekov returns to his arid homelands to share a yurt with older sister Samal Yeslyamova, laconic brother-in-law Ondasyn Besikbasov and their four rowdy children. But his ambition to become a shepherd depends upon him marrying the only eligible maiden for miles around.
It’s a revealing portrait of nomadic life in the Central Asian wilderness, with the lengthy lamb-birthing sequence being especially enthralling. But there’s also a lot of humour, notably involving the hero’s Boney M-loving buddy.