BAIKONUR

Masterful exploration of love, identity and the dreams we all have for the future. (Review by John Harley)

Directed by Veit Helmer with screenplay by Veit Helmer, Sergey Ashkenazy with cinematographer kolya Kano, Baikonur appears on the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). The cast includes Alexander Asochakov, Marie de Villepin and Sitora Farmonova.

From the director of DIFF hit Tuvalu (1999) comes the story of Iskander, who dreams of being an astronaut and lives in a small village in the rural Kazakh steppes, where residents collect space debris that fall down around them from the nearby Baikonur Space Station.

When Iskander comes across a capsule containing Julie Mahe, the momentum of the movie just takes off! This is truly a masterful rendition of movie making at its very best - simplicity being the key to this captivating cinematic event. The skill in composition, camera movement and lighting in order to capture the images of the story was exceptional, featuring beautifully shot footage of the actual Baikonur Space Station.

The gentle, completely underplayed characterization of the performances created an authenticity almost in the style of a documentary at times- once again enhancing the overall authenticity and believability of the film. The story line was surprisingly simple, yet contained so many meaningful layers, it just kept the audience totally captivated. Themes such as rural life versus modern technology; striving after your dreams no matter what; kissing your sleeping fairy princess to life; dreams versus reality ... were the order of the day.

To top it all, the audience had the wonderful opportunity of engaging with the director in person who shared some fascinating insights in making the movie. One question pertained to the central theme(s) of the film - its very essence! The answer, from the horse’s mouth, as'twere – “don't look too far and wide for your dream, it might just be right under your nose!”

Please do not miss this movie; it satisfies completely on all levels. – John Harley