Zud

Summary

"You're old enough to know when to slow down and when to spur your horse on. You already know this, right? All our hopes are riding on this brown horse."

When the icy cold sweeps across the Mongolian steppes, eleven-year-old Sukhbat’s family loses many sheep and goats. To remedy his father’s looming money problems, Sukhbat is supposed to ride a half-wild horse in a potentially lucrative race. The preparations bring challenges and conflicts, patience and insight – and the relationship between father and son grows more intense. The high-pitched singsong Sukhbat uses to drive his horse and the rush of the cold wind dominate the sound of the steppes. Authentic images document the struggle for the survival of a traditional nomadic way of life, one characterized by an uncanny closeness between humans and animals in a landscape as inhospitable as it is entrancing.

Source: 66. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)