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Winds of Change
A film spare yet beautiful, Close to Eden is an intimate picture which takes its time telling a simple story, and in doing so tells a larger one. It is a film about our basic needs, and how our happiness is often tied to tradition and the winds of change. We must all decide when and how much to break from what we know in order to continue on in a way which makes life worth living.
Gombo (Badema) is a Mongol living in China with his lovely wife, Pagma (Bayertu), and their three children. They live in a place far removed from the city where Pagma grew up. The browns and greens of the plains which stretch for miles are beautifully photographed and the haunting music of Edward Artemiev recorded in France by Xavier Bellanger captures the vast loneliness surrounding their existence. It is a life Pagma has chosen out of love for Gombo.
Times have changed since the proud Gombo's ancestors ruled during the time of Genghis Khan, however. Just how much so he is confronted with each day, as Pagma will no longer allow him to express his love for her because new laws prohibit more than two children; and they already have three. His grandfather tells him he should not have married a city girl.
When a Russian truck driver enters their lives, Gombo and Sergei (Vladimir Gostukhin) bridge the language barrier and become fast friends. Sergei has already broke with his own tradition by leaving his homeland to provide for his family. His lonely Russian wife stays in the city and he only gets to see her on return trips. Pagma has lived there and seen television, giving her knowledge about protection which will allow their love to live again without fear of children.
Instructing Gombo on how to acquire what they need, he travels to the city with Sergei for something so far outside who he believes himself to be that conceding to the winds of change may be more than is possible. The journey itself is humorous and often heartfelt, the two pals from totally different worlds having common needs and foibles. A daydream of Gombo's shows just how much his sense of self is threatened by what Pagma has asked of him.
The concession he makes will be quite different, but perhaps greater than expected. It will not go unappreciated by his wife, and once again the urga will act as a signal to others for privacy. Directed by Nikita Mikhalkov, who wrote the screenplay with Roustam Ibraguimbekov, the simple act of living and the small pleasures which tie all men and women together are explored in simple and eloquent fashion. Close to Eden is a film about our sense of who we are and the balance we must all find in adapting to a changing world without letting it change us.
It must be noted that the VHS version of this slowly developing but richly rewarding film nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 1992 is the one to get. It has English subtitles while it is my understanding that the DVD version available for region one does not. Foreign film fans who missed this one will want to take a look. A real sleeper.
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A poignant look at contemporary Mongolian life.
An excerpt from the book "Wild East" by Jill Lawless, tells of well-heeled travellers who, after viewing "Close to Eden" are inspired to make the trip to Mongolia. Perhaps it is the stunning vistas of the Mongolian steppe, or the sense of urgency to experience a way of life that is on the brink of being overrun by the trappings of modernity.
The opening scene shows Gombo running after his wife, carrying an urga (essentially a long pole with a lasso used to catch sheep). He plants the pole before attempting to make love with his wife. His wife resists his advances for fear of having a fourth child, which is illegal in China.
The movie focusses on the lives of a Mongolian family living in China. Gombo, the man of the house, represents the quintessential stoic Mongolian male. Chastised by his wife for being backward, he goes to the city in search of condoms and a TV set. Sergei, a Russian worker from Irkutsk provides some comic relief. Yet he is the link that we can identify with, especially when he cringes at the slaughter of the sheep.
Visions of the old and new predominate. Gombo's mother sitting sliently popping bubble wrap, Ghengis Khan attacking his newly purchased TV set, Gombo riding through a modern town with two horses, and Gorbachev and the elder George Bush on TV as seen from the inside of a Mongolian ger. All in all, a pretty accurate picture of present day Mongolia.
At the end, Pagma (Gombo's wife) throws caution to the wind and beckons Gombo who runs after her with the urga.
The site where the urga was planted, eventually becomes a billowing smokestack. perhaps signifying the corrupting influence of the present, creeping into Gombo's family.
All in all, a well made film, while showcasing the stunning vistas of a very photogenic land, although it sometimes falls into the trap of being overly romantic and sentimental. Recommended viewing.
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A real suprise
This reflects the expansion of the Soviet empire with the culture of a Mongol family in the middle of nowhere and the Chinese in the nearby town. I bought the film to improve my Russian and because it was cheaper, but the Mongolian family speaks Mongolian throughout so subtitles were most helpful. The preparing of the sheep for dinner stands out as an expression of hospitality (and you can not claim no animals were harmed during the making of this film). I found the film shows a different world to make us busy and affluent Americans rethink our lifestyle and consider what is really important in life.
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Lovely glimpse of another culture
The warmth and love between the members of the Mongolian family are what remain most firmly lodged in my memory. This film affirms that no matter how alien the culture, we are all basically the same beneath the skin. We can understand each other. The end of the film is especially touching. The husband does what he can to modernize their lives even though he is deeply disturbed about the break from traditional ways. The wife sees this and does something that shows that she recognizes this. Wonderful film.
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Simplicity
Did you see how the couple shared theire apple?..Did you see how close she watched him finishing the apple and then wiped his mounth for him?
And Did you see how the wife took care of the tough tasks of living in the field while her husband was in town? How capable she was...Did you see how faithful he was to his family...
How pure....how deep...makes me feel sorry for myself..Not that I want to live in there or have the same life style...Just the fact that how good someone can be in making a movie that look so natural...
It wasn't just a movie for me..It was a Full time course in social science...miillion times better than.....you know it..
Well done Nikita.
