168. Homeward (Evge); movie review

 

 

HOMEWARD (EVGE)

Cert TBA

96 mins

BBFC advice: TBA

The world has always been a tough place - but for some people it has historically been much harder than for others.

For example, the Crimean Tartars have faced mass deportation, persecution from people from other backgrounds and seen their lands occupied.

Most recently, their isolation stems from siding with Ukraine in its conflict against Russia.

Inevitably this has culminated with tragedies such as that highlighted in Homeward - of Nazim, killed while on the frontline.

His father Mustafa (Akhtem Seitablayev) and his college-aged son, Alim (Remzi Bilyalov) have set out to a morgue in Kiev to recover his body but returning him to the Crimea proves to be fraught.

Although Nazim had been living in Kiev with his wife, Oleysa (Dariya Barihashvili), Mustafa is insistent that his son is given a traditional Muslim burial beside his mother’s grave in what he considers home.

This intransigence turns out to be typical of Mustafa who is not only miserable but also has a fiery temper.

which is mainly aimed at his living son who is his travelling companion over the days-long pilgrimage.

Along the way, they face many obstacles, not least of which is Nazim's decomposing body and Alim's difficulties in accepting his father’s determination to uphold tradition at all costs. 

However, the challenges encourage the pair to better understand each other and profoundly impacts their relationship.

Nariman Aliev's film is a revelation on a number of levels.

Firstly, he highlights what it must be like to be a member of a community which has been pushed from pillar to post, left fighting wars for others.

Then there is a question of how traditions have been eroded to the point that the younger people no longer even care about them.

This is a battle for culture, language and history which is being lost.

The performances of all of the cast but especially Seitablayev and Bilyalov add authenticity to scenarios which would be alien to those of us who don't live among such people.

Their plight and the film was enthralling and enlightening.

Reasons to watch: Lifts a veil on a little-known war

Reasons to avoid: Needs a bit of background knowledge

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Almost immediately after the retaking of Crimea from Axis forces, in May 1944, the USSR State Defense Committee ordered the deportation of all of the Crimean Tatars from Crimea, including the families of Crimean Tatars serving in the Soviet Army. The deportees were transported in trains and boxcars to Central Asia, primarily to Uzbekistan. The Crimean Tatars lost 18 to 46 percent of their population as a result of the deportation, according to various estimates.

The final word. Nariman Aliev: "It is important for me to show the real Crimean Tatars, with all the advantages and disadvantages, as the perception of them remains very generalized and stereotyped, even in Ukraine. Quite often, people abroad don’t realize such a nation even exists."

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