Urga (1991)

title: Urga
directed by: Nikita Mikhalkov
written by: Jacques Gary, Rustam Ibragimbekov, Nikita Mikhalkov
photography by: Vilen Kalyuta
edited by: Joëlle Hache
music by: Eduard Artemev
cast: Vladimir Gostyukhin, Badema, Bayaertu
imdb

Urga is one of those movies that prove that you don't need a complicated plot to make an extraordinary film. Not only that, but also a movie that you can't stop watching. It is also a declaration of love for nature and traditional live.

Urga and the masteful Burnt by the Sun (that followed) made us believe that Nikita Mikhalkov was ment to be one of the biggest names in european ciema. The disappointment after Barber of Siberia and the even worse following works dismantled this forecast. Despite that, Urga and Burnt by the Sun remain as two peak works in european cinema.

Urga tells the story of a russian truck driver, Sergei, whose truck breaks in the middle of the mongolian prairies. He seeks help, or at least accomodation, with a mongolian family. He will be trapped in the simple true live of this mongolian family.

Urga uses the plot as an excuse to praise the mongolian traditional life. The photography and music are wonderful, as it is the direction by Mikhalkov, who wisely, lets his characters fill the screen with no pressures.