A prisoner and an elder cross frozen hell—salary money in hand, souls on the line.
The film takes us to the Far North. A criminal escapes from prison, and on his way through the tundra meets an old native man who is carriying the salaries of reindeer breeders. Their joint struggle for survival results in the spiritual purification of the protagonist.
Cinematography
Siberian tundra shot like an alien planet—bleak, beautiful, brutal.
Acting
Dzhigarkhanyan's thaw from hard man to human is masterclass silent acting.
Director
Yuri Yerzinkyan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Maksim Munzuk was a real Tuvan throat singer and actor; his authenticity grounded the film's ethnographic detail.
Made during late Soviet stagnation, the film's spiritual hunger and distrust of urban systems mirrored audiences' unspoken dissatisfaction.
SU
