Khadak – DVD Review

On the desolate plains of Mongolia, nomadic herders tend to their flocks and congregate in large tents to keep warm and pass away the days. Among these is Bagi, a young man who is dedicated to his mother, grandfather and most of all to his flock, and seems to be plagued with the same affliction that eventually lead to his father’s death. Life is hard for these nomads, but it is the life they have chosen and the life they cherish. That all changes when the government comes rolling in with military vehicles and wild claims that the flocks are contaminated with a mysterious plague and must be contained. The herders meanwhile, are rounded up and brought into a city where jobs await them.

Life may have been tough on the plains, but it becomes almost unbearable for Bagi and his family. Bagi is placed into a mail delivery service, while his mother is sent to work operating a gigantic crane at the coal mine. When Bagi is picked up for stealing, he is placed in a labor camp where he meets a group of dissident youths and fellow ex-nomads who believe that the animals are all safe and that the plague was made up. All the while, Bagi’s affliction, which a doctor diagnoses as seizures, are becoming worse and worse. And it is during one of his seizure attacks, where he drifts into an ethereal state of mind, that Bagi comes to believe he knows where their flocks are being held!

Take an existential journey into the frozen tundra that is Mongolia with this debut film from co-directors and co-writers Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth. The creative duo put any form of truly coherent storytelling on the backburner as they set out in subzero winter temperatures to create a visual kaleidoscope of stunningly framed shots of the equally beautiful open terrain of country and the desolate ruin that has befallen the urban landscape. The result, though the term is somewhat cliche, is that Mongolia itself becomes the main character within this story, and everything else surrounding it merely a subplot.

Woodworth says her film “is about the human condition seen thru a Mongolian prism with its ongoing movements and tensions between past and future, grown and decay, between creation and destruction, between a search for meaning and an encounter with the absurd.” The sparse linear storyline within the film certainly exemplifies this statement as the screen is filled with parallels and contrasts. As Khadak progresses, so too does the blurring of reality and dream as Bagi’s seizures continue to worsen. By the film’s end, there ceases to be any disconnect between the two worlds and we are unsure exactly what is real and what is fantasy, with the “here” and “now” becoming meaningless. This is the stark message that the shaman brings to Bagi in his visions, as Bagi is brought to the crossroads of what the future may be.

In keeping with the theme of bringing a true image of Mongolia to the screen, the two main leads are Mongolian teenagers who have never acted before. Although both Batzul Khayankhyarvaa as Bagi and Tsetsegee Byamba as his love interest Zolzaya spend most of their screen time staring off into the distance, or just ambling around, their screen presence compliments their still surroundings perfectly. At times, Brosens and Woodworth are able to pull of moments of brilliant naturalism from their stars that would rival anything seen in Jim Jarmusch’s work.

While the characters within Khadak say very little, which keeps the visual motif of the film at the forefront, there is a subtle soundtrack the plays under most of the scenes that one could conceivably state as being a the official melody for the dream world. The floating tune, which contains just a hint of sadness and longing amidst its sleepy overtones is the perfect companion to the wide shots that dominate the cinematography. This tune, however, is interrupted toward the end of the film by a pulsing string arrangement that will have fans of Apocalypto clamoring for more, and serves as a fitting crescendo to the film’s finale.

Life Size Entertainment brings the visual importance of the film to radiating life with a crisp and clear anamorphic widescreen transfer. The film’s original Mongolian soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is accompanied by easy-to-read removable English subtitles.

Making Of Featurette – This thirty minute montage of behind-the-scenes footage, with brief comments and reflections by Jessica Woodworth, marks the only extra on the disc. The documentary is filmed in the same dreamlike way of the film, and is highlighted by music from the soundtrack. With little commentary, this making-of serves little interest aside for those with a thirst for the technical knowledge of what it takes to set-up a scene.

This is the very definition of arthouse cinema. You may not necessarily understand what you just saw, but the film will definitely touch part of your subconscious and the images will drift in you memory long after the credits have rolled.

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Life Size Entertainment presents Khadak. Directed by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth. Starring Batzul Khayankhyarvaa, Tsetsegee Byamba, Banzar Damchaa, Dugarsuren Dagvadorj. Written by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth. Running time: 101 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: March 4, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.