Öndög

A woman’s naked corpse is found in the middle of the sprawling Mongolian steppe. The police put an 18-year-old rookie (Norovsambuu Batmunkh) in charge of overseeing the body. In this task, he is helped by a self-reliant, camel-riding, rifle-toting herdswoman (Dulamjav Enkhtaivan), who soon becomes the focus of this rich, gorgeously shot drama about a woman’s freedom—and her desires. Director Wang Quan’an (Golden Bear-winner at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006 for Tuya’s Marriage) has created a beautifully involving story that is sexy, feminist, comedic, and profound all at once. Crafting images of breathtaking beauty, cinematographer Aymerick Pilarski contributes immensely to this delicious tale.

‘A hugely engaging, digressively structured piece that combines a cosmic sense of landscape with intimate character drama… Wit, warmth and philosophical speculation come together in an easy manner in a… drama that’s striking in its depiction of an independent heroine pursuing her desires and offering tender protection to an inexperienced younger man… A cast of first-timers, apparently well versed in the ways of plains farming, give affecting, confident performances…’—Jonathan Romney, Screen