28/04/2023 - The Kyrgyz helmer provides insights into the local context around his film and explains key metaphors that accompany its message

(© Aisedora Alymkul)

Renowned director, scriptwriter, and actor Aktan Arym Kubat’s most recent family saga paints a societal portrait of the Kyrgyz post-Soviet era and is the third part of a trilogy, together with his previous works The Light Thief [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Centaur [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. We took the opportunity to speak to him as This Is What I Remember [+see also:
interview: Aktan Arym Kubat
film profile] locks horns in Competition at the goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film.

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Cineuropa: The years in which the main character of the film was absent seem to mark the time between then and now, when changes occurred in Kyrgyz society, but those are not specified on screen. Which processes do you refer to?
Aktan Arym Kubat: After the collapse of the USSR, the economy was in a lose-lose situation, therefore many people emigrated to Russia and Kazakhstan as gastarbeiters. Fathers and mothers left their children behind in search of jobs, and the family institution began to crumble. In the film, the main character, Zarlyk, finds himself within a disintegrated family upon his return — many things have changed at home and in his native village. His arrival exposes new attitudes towards the environment, family patterns, and the influence of religion on values that were different in Soviet times. The main idea is expressed in the final song that his wife Umsunai sings — it touches upon love in the divine sense; love for one’s neighbour, for the land, for children and parents. Those values have been lost, together with the memory that we are human.

What does this silent character stand for, having no memory of the past and the people in it, but wishing to cleanse the present from garbage?
Behind any parable-like plot, there is always a metaphor. The name Zarlyk means "necessary" in Kyrgyz, a kind of messiah of moral rebirth. And silence is sacred — it is a key component of major religions, while in his case it marks the absence of rational thought during an intense inner exploration.

I came up with the idea for this character when I read about a missing person who was found after 23 years and was brought to his native village. What happened next wasn't described, so I started developing the story with present-day characters. To have, around you, a person who has lost their memory, it makes you aware of your past and return to important values. As for garbage, it is a consequence of human activity and originates in the mind — people hardly realise how much they contaminate the environment and themselves. Zarlyk is focused on garbage because many guest workers are janitors, that’s the practical side of it. But I used it as a metaphor for the fact that we all need to cleanse ourselves.

Perhaps you identify with Zarlyk, since you decided to play the character yourself?
I play in all the films of the trilogy. In the first part, it happened by accident, since we could not find a suitable actor, and in the next two films it came naturally. I prepared for a long time for the role of Zarlyk — I grew my hair out, because we don't use makeup or extensions. People in my village were staring at me, not understanding why a man in his 60s would grow his hair long. I also investigated how a person with amnesia behaves, and the achieved result is apparently good. A medical specialist complimented me that Zarlyk acts very convincingly. 

What about your work with the other actors?
Many of them are non-professional. We did a careful casting, and when the right people were found, I trusted them. Of course, we read the script, but on set, I didn't torture them too much with rehearsing, it's an organic process where actors and characters merged. Some scenes were shot in one sequence without the opportunity to edit the actors' performance. The camera moved within the frame, so nothing could be faked. 

There is logic, too, in inviting certain people to a role, a careful selection through analysis. Zarlyk’s son is performed by my own son, Mirlan Abdykalykov, who is an experienced actor, but the main thing was that he could identify fully with his character. The film could even be called Father and Son. Also, Zarlyk’s classmate is played by my classmate in life, who really is a disabled person, as in the film. 

What were the reactions in Kyrgyzstan?
I heard comments that it's one of my best films — critics praised it in their reviews. The audience was not huge, but a certain circle of viewers wait for my films, while the number of spectators for auteur cinema is slowly increasing every year. We also organised specialised screenings for certain target groups with discussions.

You are the most established Kyrgyz filmmaker, but you manage to make films only every 5-6 years. What were the difficulties in shooting This Is What I Remember?
The state budget is limited to an average of about two films a year, so I try not to request this funding in order to give young filmmakers the opportunity to shoot. My films are mostly financed by Western producers, but closing a budget takes 3-4 years and a total of 5-6 years to complete the film. In the case of This Is What I Remember, the pandemic made it even harder — when everything was ready for shooting, we had to stop the process for a year. Another problem was that we had to do the post-production in Europe, therefore I was not personally present for re-recording and colour correction. We had to do it online, while I'm used to being actively involved in every step of the process, right down to the credits and subtitles. But the co-production companies that joined in — Bitters End (Japan), Volya Films (Netherlands), Mandra Films (France) — helped with having a high overall quality in every aspect.