The Light Thief Svet Ake (2010)

Directed by: Aktan Arym Kubat | 80 minutes | drama | Actors: Aktan Arym Kubat, Taalaikan Abazova, Askat Sulaimanov, Asan Amanov, Stanbek Toichubaev

In the Kyrgyzstan of 2005 – at the time of the Tulip Revolution, which brought an end to Askar Akayev’s presidency, the moving and slightly comical ‘The Light Thief’ is set. We follow the amiable Svet-Ake (translated as Mr. Light, as he is affectionately called by his fellow villagers) into the small, windswept village in a valley. Svet-Ake is happily married and has four daughters. In addition to taking care of the power supply for everyone in the village, he takes care of all kinds of other things, to make life as easy as possible for the residents of his village. It does not occur to him that he is risking his own life in the meantime. For example, he is not afraid to save a boy who had climbed the highest tree to see what lies behind the mountains, something Svet-Ake himself has done in the past. And when an old man can’t pay the electricity bill, Svet-Ake makes sure that free electricity comes out of the power wires and the meter is turned back.

When the greedy politician Bezkat (Asat Sulaimanov) appears on the scene, a turning point takes place in the lives of the villagers, and therefore in that of Svet-Ake. Bezkat wants to sell the land of the town of Kok-Moinok to the Chinese. He manages to maneuver himself into a position of power by appointing his relative Mansur (also one of Svet-Ake’s best friends) as mayor. He also tries to put Svet-Ake in front of him, which at first seems to work. The helpful protagonist sees some benefit in Bezkat’s vision of the future, but in the end he turns out to be unable to withstand the devastating power of progress.

Director Aktan Arym Kubat, whose first feature ‘Beshkempir’ and its successor ‘De aap’ (‘Maimil’) also deserved a cinema release in the Netherlands, plays the role of the uninhibited hero of the story. He does that perfectly. With his open and sweet look he immediately conquers the heart of the viewer. The interplay with the actress who plays his wife (Taalaikan Abazova) is touching. The scene where she washes him while he’s in a tub is very endearing. And there are more of those touching moments.

‘The Light Thief’ is highly recommended for another reason: life in a rural community in Kyrgyzstan, virtually unknown to us Westerners, is subtly sketched out. This ranges from fascinating images of a local sports competition involving horsemen and a goat, to building a yurt and from the simple game that children engage in to a funeral.

Aktan Arym Kubat cautiously addresses themes such as political and economic discontent and corruption, but ‘The Light Thief’ is much more than an indictment, a story about an intensely good man, who not only literally also illuminates the lives of his loved ones, but also figuratively. Highly recommended!