Asa has a dream.
He lives on the steppe in southern Kazakhstan, and he dreams of having his own yurt to live in and his own sheep to tend.
All Asa (Askhat Kuchinchirekov) needs to achieve his goals is a wife. He'll get a few sheep as soon as he's married, and he wants to start his own life as a shepherd as soon as possible.
Problem: There's nobody around for him to marry. There are very few people still living in his area and almost no unmarried women.
Asa has high hopes over one young woman named Tulpan, and he works hard to impress her and her parents, bringing gifts to her home and trotting out all his best stories about his days in the Russian navy. But Tulpan rejects him, saying his ears are too big. In fact, she wants an education, not a life of drudgery and isolation in the steppe.
Asa goes home, downhearted.
His best friend Boni (Tulepbergen Baisakalov) isn't worried about the situation, because he wants Asa to move to the city with him. He almost convinces Asa to make that move, too, but at the last moment Asa just can't give up his dream.
He works even harder at being a shepherd.
For the moment, Asa lives with his married sister and her husband.
The husband doesn't have a lot of respect for Asa's shepherding skills, and there are problems with the flock. Baby sheep are dying on a regular basis. Asa continues to pursue Tulpan, despite being turned down, and he continues to work hard at being a good shepherd. After he helps a lamb get born and survive, Asa is more determined than ever to create for himself the life he wants.
Tulpan is charming and funny, and it's also a remarkable glimpse into a vanishing way of life.
Asa and his married sister are surrounded by the animals that graze on the steppe, and the goats, sheep, donkeys and camels in the story are far more than just part of the landscape. (As are the sounds of nature.)
Also very present are the sister's children -- a busy toddler who rides an imaginary horse, an adolescent boy and a little girl who sings her way through the day. The story involves myriad details of the family's everyday domestic life -- churning butter, making dumplings, the vet's visit, the arrival of the water tank, a visit from an aggressive camel -- and the pace is unhurried and chipper.
And for all that hard work and unrequited love, Tulpan is also very funny.
The movie was shown here during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. A first narrative feature from Kazakhstani documentary filmmaker Sergei Dvortsevoy, Tulpan has won 10 awards worldwide, including top prize in the 'Un Certain Regard' sidebar at Cannes last year.
The film is in Kazakh, with English subtitles.
(This film is rated PG)
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