COLORS OF WHITE ROCK (2026) Tribeca 2026

This is a portrait of a woman who drives trucks from Mongolian coal mine into China as a means of making money to feed her family. The film is also a look at the changing landscape both physical and financial in Mongolia as industrialization and capitalism come into play.

On my list of must see films at Tribeca because no other films of the 60 I had seen to that point could match it visually, COLORS OF WHITE ROCK is a thoughtful and medatative look at a life most of us can't imagine. This is a world like our but also far away. I was entranced.

While the film has much to say about life in general what you are going to remember is the images. Huge shots of vast expanses, of strip mines, industrial machines, traffic jams, sun sets and people's faces shot so beautifully that you wil want to run off and see them imperson. This film is so gorgeous to look at you will curse the fact that despite documentaries being eligible for the Best Cinematography Oscar, they are never actually nominated (or rarely).

This is a film to see on a big screen with no distractions.

If you love the art of cinema- go see this film.

Black Dog (2024) is playing in LA- go see it

Guan Hu returns with a great little gem of a film that I completely failed to notice on the release calendar.

The film follows a man who has just gotten out of prison going to his home, a village near the edge of the desert in order to take care of the dog population. Along the way he becomes friends with a black dog and it changes him for the better.

This is a nice little film that is just as good as Hu's earlier films (COW, DESIGN OF DEATH or MR SIX) in other words the film is going to kick the legs out from under you and leave you wondering why more people aren't talking about this film.

This is a great film and you need to track it down ASAP.

Brief thoughts on Wolves Always Come At Night (2024) Toronto 2024

Documentary/narrative hybrid about a shepherd in Mongolia forced to change his life and move to a village because of climate change.

This is an uneven film. The documentary parts of the film are an eye opening look at the life herding animals in Mongolia.  However the mixing of life on the plains with the story of a forced change doesn’t wholly work. While it’s not bad but the inclusion of created narrative results in some moments that don’t feel natural. The ending didn’t work for me for that reason.

While not bad, the film isn’t what it could have been if it was either purely a narrative or purely a documentary.

City of Wind (2023) NYAFF 2024

CITY OF WIND is really good. I say that because I saw it during a run of a number really poor films and I was beginning to think I would never see another good one.

The film concerns a high school student named Ze who is also a shaman. Channeling a grandfather spirit he seeks to help people. At the same time he is a normal high school student just trying to navigate life. Things become complicated when in his role as a shaman he tries to help a young woman due for heart surgery who wants no part of him (She calls him a charlatan). She survives the surgery and ze is smitten.  The relationship begins to change the young man for the better.

This is a brilliant coming of age tale that is far from typical. Not only showing us a young man coming of age, the film is a wonderful portrait of Mongolian society and most important a great examination of old and new worlds, as in shamanistic beliefs in the modern world.  What makes the film so damn great is the fact that while giving us all sorts of ideas to chew on it always remains focused on the characters and their lives. The film is about them first and last and as such the film is deeply moving.

Light years above the vast majority of films playing at this years New York Asian Film Fest CITY OF WIND is an absolute must see.

TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW (2023) DOC NYC 2023

Cinematographer Martina Radwan finds herself with three kids from Mongolia after covering a story on abandoned/orphaned kids. It started innocently enough, she returned after finishing her project to see how Baaskaa  was doing. This resulted in her taking steps to make sure that he was cared for. He ended up helping out on a farm outside of one of the cities. Over time Radwan began to care for two more kids,Nasaa and Baani.

I’m torn about how much to tell you because what makes this film so great, aside from the fact that it highlights a number of people who are truly wonderful, is that the ride is so much fun. Taking the ride with Radwan over the six years chronicled in the film is a real trip. Watching as events play out without knowing where it was going made for a much satisfying trip. I say that because everything was a surprise I didn’t know where it would end. That isn’t not to say there is a surprise at the  end, there isn’t, it’s just I liked seeing thing unfold in their own time.

I really like films like this a great deal. In an age where we are flooded with images of the darker side of life and the bad things that people do, it is so nice to see a story about one person trying to do something good and bring a little light into the world.

While this may not be the best film of the year it maybe one of the warmest.

See this film and feel good about humanity.

UNDER THE TURQUOISE SKY (2023) Japan Cuts Centerpiece

The good for nothing grandson of a rich tycoon is sent to Mongolia to find the tycoon's lost daughter whom he fathered when he was a soldier during the Second World War. 

Absolutely beautiful road film is one that deserves to be seen on the big screen. the images are the sort you will fall into. I wish I could have seen this on a truly huge screen.

As beautiful as the images are the narrative much too often asks the images to carry the story.  Too much of the emotion comes from a well edited series of shots rather than the characters. Too much is left unsaid. I could feel the construction of the plot. After a while I disconnected as all I saw was the hand of the director moving everything around.

I like the film but I don't love it.

Cord of Life (2022) NYAFF 2023

Across the board one of the top films at this year's NYAFF, CORD OF LIFE is full of life. 

The film is the story of a musician who takes his mother, who is suffering with Alzheimer's Disease back to the Mongolian country side one last time.

It's a simple plot for a complex and touching film. Full of moments that will ring true for anyone who has had to deal with aging and sick parents, this film doesn't sugar coat what a chore they can be. Additionally the film also shows us what a joy it can be to connect to our parents at a time in our lives when we don't always think that is possible, I was moved  by what I was seeing because I could see moments with both my mom and my dad before they passed.

Technically this film is a marvel.  One of the absolute must sees on a big screen films playing the festival CORD OF LIFE is a delight for the ear and the eye. I can not impress enough how gorgeous this film is. I say that because watching man sequences I wished I was seeing the film on an even bigger screen so that I could truly fall into the images.

This is filmmaking of the height order.

Highly recommended- this film will delight your eyes and move your soul