About

Filmmaker Bekzat Pirmatov fills his offbeat gangster film with both love and lament for the contemporary state of Kyrgyzstan. Set in a Soviet style, lakeside sanatorium called Aurora, the film follows a host of unnerving characters whose seemingly sinister motivations are hidden beneath the surface. Two Chinese businessmen are menacingly focussed on deleting a message from an iphone, a group of gangsters decide the fate of a popular TV host and an anonymous S & M date goes wrong. Aurora’s entrancing cinematography fills the screen with majestic landscapes through to idiosyncratic interiors of criminal’s domestic homes. Both an absurdist comedy and sharp critique of the creeping corruption and disparity of wealth and power in contemporary Kyrgyzstan, filmmaker Bekzat Pirmatov crafts a passionate and stylish debut film. RH

Ages 18+ | Contains strong violence, sexual violence