HondaReport.com - Film Review: 'Don't Cry' a quiet tale of innocence, hardship and courage

Hawaii International Film Festival—I would find it unlikely that a lot of film fans have the patience to sit through 90 minutes of Don’t Cry. But there is a beauty in director Amir Karakulov’s human landscape when he allows us to absorb the eyes and soul of Kazaks ranging from 7 to 70-plus years old. It is a film that paints broad strokes in slow motion.

And that’s an optimistic statement about Don’t Cry, a documentary-style film from Kazakhstan. Director Amir Karakulov brings his camera—purely DV cinematography—into the day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute existence of three members of a family that faces hardship.

With wide open spaces on a brutally beautiful frozen tundra, Karakulov allows the landscape of Kazakhstan and a myriad of close-ups of his actors—a weathered grandmother, a sweet-natured 7-year-old granddaughter, and a distant relative who arrives with an issue foreign to this countryside village.

What Don’t Cry lacks in concise scripting and efficient images, it more than makes up for with poignant “acting.” Lingering camera shots that almost feel too penetrating for private moments within and outside the home left me wondering: Is this really a movie or is this a camera that is quietly intruding on the lives of these sincere, good people?

The Hype: Karakulov has three films to his credit, but this is his first attempt at a hand-held feel and look. With actors who are actually ordinary folks improvising their roles, this project could have—and some ways did—go all over the place.

Strengths: The improve-style approach works. Even the actors used their first names in character. Maira Muhamed Kyzy leaves her Chinese homeland—though she is Kazak—and moves to Sat Jol village as her operatic career is on hold because her voice is injured and healing. Her husky grandmother does everything from scratch, including milling dried corn kernels into flour by hand, cooking with a giant wok-style bowl over an enclosed fire, and relishing a rarity in the Kazak winter—a ripe orange. The slow pace of each shot—the orange-eating scene took two minutes as her burly fingers plucked pieces of the fruit bit by bit to eat slowly—may drive some film watchers bonkers. However, Karakulov plays his cards right.

This is more than a character study; it is a point-blank visual diary of a people who have been cast free from the communist life only to face hardship. And somehow, Maira and Bibinur (Aldabergenova) shine in bleak conditions in the midst of a very simple plot.

Weaknesses: No question, plenty of footage could have been sliced off. This could have worked as a 15-minute short film. For me, however, it works just as well in 90 minutes (though it’s listed as 120 minutes).

Best Scene: This movie is all about visuals. When Maira realizes that Bibinur’s medical expeses are beyond her reach, she doesn’t hesitate to take her opera gowns to the open market—a place with mud puddles, no walls and plenty of cold air—and the result is heartbreaking. She lowers her price for these cherished possessions from 10,000 to 5,000, and finally to 3,000, almost giving the gowns away. And yet, nobody will buy. Where in this tiny village would anyone wear such gowns to, anyway?

Maira’s love for Bibinur is so pure—they bond quickly because Maira loves Bibinur’s innocence and eagerness to learn, as well as her remarkable courage. But Maira doesn’t lose hope, and in the little moments of this struggle, she finds humor and optimism when all things look so dreary. The closing scene is a surprise in the way we look at Maira and Grandma, and essentially, the human spirit when all hope seems gone.

Worst Scene: It may be unfair to show a Kazak hospital as unfriendly and cold, especially in a nation with a Third-World economy, but in hindsight, it was necessary to the plot. When Maira learns of Bibinur’s illness, it is far from a bad scene; any parent or guardian will feel Maira’s pain in a split second.

Summary: Don’t Cry is not for the average fan of The Fast and Furious or Kill Bill. However, fans of character study who can tolerate subtitles and low-budget editing—sometime subtitles don’t even appear on screen, or the English translation is grammatically incorrect—are in for a treat. Just be ready for a snail’s pace.

Discretionary notes: No nudity, profanity or violence, but there is a scene with a needle that leaves some adults queasy.