The Light Thief is a fable about Central Asia and globalization in an era of upheaval. Set in the mountainous beauty of rural Kyrgyzstan, the story is populated by locals happy to maintain their traditions despite the poverty and corruption overtaking their lives.

The central character is Mr. Light (Aktan Arym Kubat), an electrician who keeps the village supplied with power of various kinds. Besides quietly stealing electricity for the elders and the poor, he also acts as a village sounding post, helper, trusted friend and problem solver.

Mr. Light has also come up with a way to build and install windmills and supply his whole valley with power, an invention that brings him to the attention of outsiders.

Aided and abetted by Bezkat (Askat Sulaimanov), a smooth talker with connections to the village, Chinese businessmen have come calling to buy up parcels of land from the locals. Mr. Light is initially pleased that Bezkat is interested in his windmill ideas, but he comes to understand that any involvement with Bezkat and his cronies can only have negative results.

The Light Thief unfolds as a series of snapshots of village life -- everything from Mr. Light's bathing ritual to a local funeral, a herding game and a yurt building. When a little boy climbs too high in a tree and needs to be rescued, the villagers seek out Mr. Light for a solution; the tree adventure was prompted, the child says, by a need to see what lies beyond the mountains. The villagers will soon find out. Theirs is a peaceful life full of ancient traditions and music, all of which is about to be swept away in the name of progress.

To underline what will be lost, filmmaker Aktan Arym Kubat emphasizes the beauty of the land and the appeal of the villager's simple lives. Mr. Light, for example, has an idyllic domestic life with his wife and four daughters. Besides the specific political and historical elements, the film is a slow, quiet meditation on a very different way of life. The Light Thief is in the Kyrgyz language, with English subtitles.

(This film is rated 14A)

liz.braun@sunmedia.ca
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