Despite the fact that Kazakh cinema is mostly represented in the festival circuit nowadays from genre-filmmaking of the likes of Adilkhan Yerzhanov, the art-house part of the local industry frequently presents movies of quality too. “Abel” which premiered in Busan last year, is definitely one of those films.
Abel is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas
In an impressive one-shot 13-and-a-half-minute sequence, Elzat Eskendir sets the tone of his film in the most eloquent fashion. In Southern Kazakhstan, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1993, another collective farm is disbanded in the midst of the changing political landscape and the turn towards capitalism, and subsequently, privatization. Although the sheepherders involved are expecting the remaining cattle to be shared fairly, the appearance of an elderly hand in this first scene highlights that something is definitely wrong here.
As the man in charge of the farm, Bolat, is revealed to be a rather shady character, another man, Abel, comes into focus, with the former treating him in a way that can only be described as special treatment. A bit later, however, it is revealed that no one is spared from the greed and corruption taking place, while Abel and his wife also have to face issues with their older children.
The feeling one gets from the movie is that Eskendir is angry. This anger towards the then system becomes obvious throughout the movie, with Abel essentially functioning as the embodiment of the sentiment. The reasons, however, are as many as they are justified. The man in charge and his goons are evidently up for stealing as much as they can from the poor sheepherders, with the latter having very few options in resisting. The corruption is so evident that for a number of them, it has just become a part of life.
Furthermore, the consequences of the practices of the Soviet Union, who essentially exploited Kazakh people in any way possible, are also evident, although Eskendir highlights that the country’s independence did not improve things that much, occasionally even making it worse. The scene with the dinner following the release of a local young man who was imprisoned due to protesting against the government is where the whole sociopolitical critique comes to the fore, in a way that is somewhat on the nose, but still remains largely, organically implemented in the narrative.
Apart from the general comments, Eskendir also focuses intently on the family drama that forms the second basis of the story here. The hardships Abel and his rather large family have to face become evident from the get go, with even the smallest children having to play their part in the everyday life of animal herding. The older sons, however, is where the true problems start, with Temen in particular causing a number of issues, which become more and more significant as time passes. His presence is actually the one that cements the drama here, in a way though, that does not allow release, perhaps in an indication regarding the director still being angry and wishing his audiences to remain so.
Both contextually and technically, realism is the key word here. Eskendir and DP Jolanta Dylewska implement an approach that borders on the documentary, with the attention to every detail of everyday life in the region at the time being of the utmost degree. At the same time, the dystopian setting of South Kazakhstan is showcased equally, while the night scenes inside the house are truly imposing to watch, in an aspect that also introduces artistry to the aforementioned realism. Eskendir’s editing results in a relatively fast pace that allows the movie to feel briefer than its 120 minutes of duration, and is the main source of the tension that also permeates the movie.
Yerlan Toleutay, whose main occupation is singer/musician actually, gives a rather imposing performance as Abel, with him exhibiting a number of sentiments, but most of all his anger, in the most impressive fashion. Nurzhan Beksultanova in the role of his wife is also quite good, additionally in the way she highlights how helpless women were in this rather patriarchal society. Ulan Nusipali as Bolat steals the show as a truly despicable man, the undisputed villain of the story.
“Abel” is an excellent film that works both as a realistic depiction of the particular era in Kazakhstan and as a crime film with sociopolitical elements.
