Italian Premiere | In Competition | Online
Mongolia, 2024, 137’, Mongolian
Directed by: Janchivdorj Sengedorj
Screenplay: Janchivdorj Sengedorj, Nomuunzul Turmunkh
Cinematography (color): Enkhbayar Enkhtur
Editing: Munkhbat Shirnen
Production Design: Munkhbat Shirnen
Music: Song Comme un boomerang by Serge Gainsbourg
Sound: Aurae Studios
Producers: Ganbaatar Narantsetseg, Bold Gangat, Naranbat Bayasgalan, Sengedorj Janchivdorj
Production Companies: MFIA, Dominion Tech LLC, Nomadia Pictures, Ddish
Cast: Tuvshinbayar Amartuvshin (Myagmar), Narantsetseg Ganbaatar (Saruul), Bat-Erdene Munkhbat
Date of First Release in Territory: TBA
Following the resounding success of The Sales Girl (FEFF 2022), the prolific writer and director of both film and theatre Sengedorj Janchivdorj continues his study of urban youth in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. This is a dramatic outing, in which the black comedy which characterised his previous feature, vanishes to make way for a darker atmosphere of existential reflection on life and death, through characters who reflect the current state of society, in which each individual finds themself increasingly isolated.
The plot revolves around Myagmar, a young ex-convict who after fourteen years in jail finds himself alone – his mother, his only relative, died while he was in prison. His experience in prison has left deep marks on Myagmar: haunted by guilt for the crime he committed, while he was locked up he lost the ability to communicate with others, suffered kidney failure, was abused and raped. The only company Myagmar seems able to tolerate is that of a pack of stray dogs; he allows them into his house and takes care of them. Occasional sexual encounters only add to Myagmar’s sense of loneliness. The only job he manages to land is as a driver for a funeral parlour, where he comes into contact with a young Buddhist monk who performs funerals and an elderly blind craftsman who makes coffins.
Through his relationship with these two people, who seem to possess innate wisdom, Myagmar gradually begins to reconcile with the world, but he strikes up a relationship with Saruul – the young daughter of the blind craftsman who, after accompanying her father home every evening, sneaks out of the window every evening to go to the nightlife district – which pulls him back into the abyss of despair. The two of them do not experience the classic throes of young love, as they are both deeply damaged souls who have lost faith in life and mankind – Saruul even goes so far as to tell Myagmar that she envies his prison experience because jail is a far cry from the hell that is the world. Saruul becomes the victim of blackmail with disastrous consequences, and Myagmar comes to realise that the impotence of the police and the arrogance of crime will never allow justice to prevail. Despite the realisation that “the greatest revenge is forgiveness” the young man makes an extreme decision...
Silent City Driver, which was awarded Best Film and Best Production Design at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, convincingly melds the extraordinary openness and luminosity of Mongolia’s endless horizons with a claustrophobic atmosphere. The appearance of a camel, at the beginning and end of the film wandering through the cityscape suggesting an element of magical realism, does not keep the film from remaining anchored firmly in reality. An unusual element is the soundtrack that consists solely of the song Comme un boomerang by Serge Gainsbourg, which is featured at various points in the story and which, perhaps because it seems to be completely at odds with the setting, culture and language of the film, intrigues the viewer and seems to underline the sense of fatalism that pervades the story: “I feel booms and bangs shake my wounded heart”...
The film does not shy away from unexpected nude scenes and details that bring unexpected relief from the darker atmosphere – such as when the young Buddhist monk tells Myagmar that he eats meat and is a Manchester United fan during a funeral procession. Some scenes are perhaps longer than necessary, but the final one should be watched closely because it is truly outstanding...
Janchivdorj Sengedorj
One of Mongolia’s foremost directors, with a particular interest in portrayals of contemporary youth, Janchivdorj Sengedorj (Ulaanbaatar, 1976) has worked in both theater and cinema. Graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor Degree in Film Directing at the “Bers” College of Media and Cinematic Arts, Janchivdorj Sengedorj was director of the Film Institute at the National Youth Theater (2000-2003), director of the Sun Group since 2013 and Board Member of the Mongolian Film Industry Association since 2018.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
2010 – Adam/Oxygen
2011 – Bodliin Hulgaich
2015 – Bosuul
2016 – Lovers
2017 – White Blessing
2018 – Life
2019 – I Am the Sun
2021 – The Sales Girl
2024 – Silent City Driver
Maria Barbieri