Paradise

1995 0h 22m KK

😐

5.9

MID

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 9★7.5IMDB · 127

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Sergey Dvortsevoy makes his international debut with this astonishingly intimate portrait of a nomadic family on the Kazakh plains. Several scenes in this slow, elegant film betray a certain dry humor -- a child devouring the last of a bowl of yogurt and then crying; a cow getting its head stuck in a pail; and a woman singing to herself, accompanied by her snoring husband. Other scenes capture the nomads' hardscrabble lives -- drunken herdsmen in the grips of existential despair, growling dogs, and a camel enduring a rather grim septum piercing. By the end of the film, the family pulls up stakes and herds its sundry four-legged beasts -- camels, cattle, goats, dogs, and horses -- to a more fertile plain. This film was screened at the 1999 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sergei Dvortsevoy
Writers: Sergei Dvortsevoy
Languages: Kazakh
Countries: Kazakhstan, Russia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 22-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Kazakhstan, Russia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sergei Dvortsevoy, shot by Sergei Dvortsevoy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sergei Dvortsevoy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0228700 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sergei Dvortsevoy directs. Sergei Dvortsevoy behind the camera. Sergei Dvortsevoy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Kazakhstan, Russia. Dialogue in Kazakh.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 22-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
231 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: Kazakhstan, Russia.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Sergei Dvortsevoy, shot by Sergei Dvortsevoy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Sergei Dvortsevoy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7IMDB entry: tt0228700 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.