Featuring remarkable cinematography, earthy humor and a haunting score, Khuat Akhmetov’s allegorical debut recalls key films from Eastern European cinema. In a small village in remote Kazakhstan, a thunderstorm heralds the arrival of a strange being, withered by age and unable to speak, who falls from the sky. Hiding a pair of wings battered by the storm, the man (who might be an angel) finds shelter in a barn belonging to a man whose son has fallen ill after a mysterious encounter with a veiled stranger. The new visitor cures the boy, but word spreads about his strangeness, and many fearful residents, buoyed by religious superstition, propose a variety of solutions to his presence. Wily businessmen think they can make a quick buck from the novelty. Others just want to be rid of him, by any means necessary. Only the young boy, who recognizes the creature’s true nature, has its best interests at heart. This cross-generational mutual protectiveness of child and elderly “angel,” along with various eccentric portraits of local villagers, form the core of the film. With his beguiling bewinged protagonist and a delightful blend of whimsy and poignancy, Akhmetov has crafted a pointed parable about the dangers of community groupthink.

Written by Odelsha Agishev, Khuat Akhmetov. Photographed by Rifkat Ibragimov. With Igor Yasulovich, Kuandyk Kystykbaev, Ayanat Esmagambetova. (90 min)