Bishkek is the capital city of the former Soviet republic Kyrgyzstan – a slightly run down metropolis and home to the 13-years old Guljamal, also called Gulu. Her mother leaves home for work very early in the morning, and comes back late at night. They hardly talk about the father. Gulu is a daring girl; she likes dancing, hangs out with her girl friends, and can break glass bottles with her bare hand. She also looks after her younger siblings, cleans, cooks, and serves tea to her older brother. She constantly shifts between her two roles of girl and mother. She has a crush on a boy at the playground.
“With gentle camera work, the film makes her world accessible to the viewer. Touching are the playful moments between Gulu and her baby brother, and unsettling the talk of an unknown woman about the Kyrgyz tradition to kidnap young girls and marry them to someone against their will.”
(from the Dok Leipzig catalogue 2006)
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