A Reminiscent of Mystical Cinema

The Fajr International Festival should normally be the venue for such films. Cinema of Central Asia is not quite known to us, and watching a film from Kazakhstan (not a Hollywood film from a Kazakh filmmaker, Timur Bekmambetov) is a rare chance. “Deep Well”, based on a novel by the same name written by the Kazakh author Abish Kakilbayev, has a native and local feeling to it. A simple story set in the yurts and plains of Kazakhstan, among the nomads of the Central Asia. The film mainly revolves around a local well digger and his world, and a love story between his son and a neighbour. Deep well is a reminiscent of the spiritual and mystical films of Iranian cinema in the 1980s; it is a reminiscent of old-fashioned mystic poets who have a strong connection to nature. Ensep, the well digger speaks the language of nature as it is a necessity of his job. He lies on the ground and listens closely to hear the sound of water to identify the proper location for digging a well. The film mostly focuses on the well digger and only occasionally follows his son. While acquiring a poetic tone with Ensep, and relying on his inner thoughts, films shifts its tone to a more narrative conventional form for portrai his son and the love story. At the end, as expected, Ensep unites with nature and disappears into the deep water. Deep well, as a poetic film relies heavily on cinematography, and won the Dhaka’s festival award for its achievements.