ÄKEGE QONGYRAU SHALU

Yerken gently looks into the vastness of the Kazakh steppe. Although he is only six years old, he acts like a small adult who let his thoughts wander in the barren landscape surrounding the village. The emotions are also barren – there is no trace of any love for the boy. Before Yerken starts school, a doctor certifies him as ADHD. He is due to go to the special school in the capital. But, thanks to the payment of some bribes, he manages just to get into the local regular school. From his parents’ point of view of, Yerken has turned out badly, quite unlike his older brother Marat. When he dies in an accident, the family falls apart. Yerken is now on his own, and yet he keeps to his own path.

Director Serik Aprymov makes an introverted, surprisingly independent boy the main character in his latest film as he recently did in his celebrated LITTLE BROTHER. The film consistently concentrates on Yerken and portrays a society without compassion. RP