True Noon – Qiyami roz (2009)

Directed by: Nosir Saidov | 83 minutes | drama | Actors: Yuriy Nazarov, Nasriddin Nuriddinov, Nasiba Sharipova, Shodi Soleh

The landscape of Tajikistan is characterized by a beautiful mountain landscape with beautiful valleys in which old villages are located, which clearly point to a past under which the country was still under the Soviet regime, partly due to the houses where many icons are still in bookcases. Beautifully dilapidated villages in their own way where goatherds are still the order of the day. Tajikistan is wedged between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and China and therefore has a rather unstable policy. Director Nosir Saidov takes this uncertainty as a starting point and tells a story about a village that is divided in two by a political decision overnight. A barbed wire fence will be erected in the middle of the village and land mines will be laid on either side to keep the border zone free of people.

Nilufar is going to marry Aziz, but the sudden blockage makes this a very difficult problem. Nilufar works as an intern at the weather station of Kirill Ivanovich, a half-Russian who hasn’t seen his wife in a long time. His plan is to hand over the weather station to Nilufar and Aziz after the wedding and then return to Russia. One question remains: can the wedding continue? The story mainly focuses on Nilufar’s family and how they prepare for the upcoming wedding. Sometimes bland, funny humor of family situations is difficult to avoid, but fortunately the director opts for a fairly neutral approach and he omits too corny situations. The filming itself is several times very reminiscent of old Soviet cinema (production company Mosfilm), but it also gives a nice authentic atmosphere. It is as if time has stood still in Lower and Upper Safedobi.

While Saidov’s premise is good, there’s quite a bit wrong with the execution. It is never clear why the border is there, and although this will undoubtedly be the filmmaker’s intention, a large part of the story is missing. The border is also not really convincing, a plank of wood against it and you can jump over it (the mines are only put down later, after that it gets a bit more difficult). You expect from films from the old Soviet states that a lot of attention is paid to the development of the individual and his character, and that is unfortunately not fully reflected in ‘True Noon’. You never get to know the different characters very well and the often appreciated identification is virtually absent. All this does not alter the fact that it is a quietly touching and sometimes beautiful film that aims to draw attention to the uncertain situation of the country. ‘True Noon’ may not be a masterpiece, but it is a beautiful portrait of the danger of political instability and the metaphor that love knows no boundaries.