Native Dancer (Baksy)

I am going to attempt to write my little blurb without the usual copy and pasting of descriptions, so mind the errors.

This movie is by Kazahkstan director, Guka Omarova. It is based on the life of a local shaman or spiritual healer. The main characters are Aidai (Basky) and Batyr (who went to see Aidai to help his wife conceive their son). In the opening scene, the Basky is performing some ceremony on a woman. The camp or area that she lives in seems to be plucked down in the middle of nowhere with rolling mountains in the background. I can sense that her presence is very important as there are many people who come to visit, asking for help. She's a seer who is able to help locate the stolen cow of one couple, advises a mother of two that her husband did not run off with another woman but has been hit by a car and is dead. Batyr arrives on the scene with a man, hands tied, sitting in the back of his vehicle - his wifes' brother - a drunk and mischeivious individual who is being shipped back to somewhere. Aidai says to leave him with her, makes a home with her, hoping to train with her and make some cash out of it. Instead he shacks up with a 16 year old girl dropped off by her parents. Nice story so far, until the 'bad guy' enters the picture. He sees the land and envisions a gas station?! and casino and goes about buying the land of Batyr. The story ends somewhat tragically but not for everyone.

The director was present at last evenings' screening. She shared some of the background info via Q&A where we learn that the story is based on a real person, all the filming took place in Kazahkstan, and all the actors are local people. The 'real' Basky still lives today, is around 70 years old and receives many visitors to her home for healings. It has piqued my interest to possibly visit this place some day...

Now for the 'official description' by TIFF'08:
"Guka Omarova's fiery new feature sets witchcraft and the mob against each other on the dusty plains of Kazakhstan. Aidai (Nesipkul Omarbekova) is an elderly spiritual healer, a “Kazakh Baksy” who has the power to find a person's lost soul, heal the crippled and locate stolen cattle. For years, Aidai has been serving her local Kazakh community and living off the land of a rich businessman, Batyr (Farkhat Amankulov), who feels indebted to her because she helped his wife to conceive.

When local gangsters decide that Batyr's land would be a prime location for a petrol station and a motel, Aidai puts up a fight, as the land is what connects her to her spiritual powers. Ignoring threats from the gangsters, Batyr goes away on vacation, but when he returns Aidai has disappeared and his land has been excavated. He is furious, so when the petrol station burns down in a freak accident, it seems like just revenge – until his son is kidnapped. Devastated and at a loss, Batyr goes looking for Aidai's help.

Co-written and produced by the great Russian director Sergei Bodrov (Mongol), Native Dancer evokes the mysticism of fantasy and the thrills of a gangster film. Featuring strong, naturalistic performances, especially from Omarbekova (a real-life witch doctor), Native Dancer recalls the earthy visual style of Omarova's last film, Schizo, which played at the Festival in 2004. But with its hybridized genres, Native Dancer is far more epic in its scope.

In this highly accomplished work, Omarova has crafted a captivating story that astutely highlights the clash between old Kazakh customs and the new Kazakhstan. Aida Begic's Snow, also playing at the Festival this year, touches on similar issues. As capitalist forces begin to encroach on tradition, the first casualty is often a culture's most fundamental inheritance – land."

Source: http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/nativedancer

j.