Close to Eden

Close to Eden

1991 · 119 min · RU · 7.1 (39 votes)
Dir. Nikita Mikhalkov · Starring Badema, Bayaertu, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Baoyinhexige, Bao Yungyan, Wurinile · Music Eduard Artemyev
Drama

A farmer and his wife live in a rural part of Inner Mongolia with their three children. Chinese population control policies prevent them from having any more. The farmer sets out for the nearest town to obtain birth control. He comes upon a Russian truck driver who has ended up in a lake. The farmer takes the man back to his farm, and after initially being appalled, the Russian becomes enchanted with the peaceful life of the countryside and decides to stay. But his presence presages big changes for the peasants.

VIBE

A quiet, contemplative drama that feels as vast and empty as its Mongolian landscapes. It's a deeply human story about tradition meeting modernity, told with a gentle, unhurried hand. The film lingers long after the credits roll.

melancholiccontemplativeausterepoignantslow-burnnaturalisticarthouserural dramafamilytraditioncultural clashmodernity
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