“If only I could hibernate”, a moving social and political evocation of Mongolia

Filmmaker Zoljargal Purevdash makes “If Only I Could Hibernate” a hard-hitting social and political film. Carried by inspired young actors, the Mongolian feature film has a universal reach. Upsetting.

If only I could hibernate, director Zoljargal Purevdash’s first film, in theaters Wednesday January 10, paints an unvarnished portrait of a Mongolian society caught in universal difficulties. It is the first Mongolian film to have been presented at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was received with emotion in May 2023. It is a great film, in the vein of Bicycle thief by Vittorio De Sica. It is a social, political film, excellently served by a refined aesthetic.

How to survive and escape from your social condition

If only it were possible, Ulzii would not have to carry the world on his shoulders like Sisyphus. Ulzii, a high school student very gifted in physical sciences, must provide for his family, replace his deceased father and his mother drowned in alcoholism. His younger sister and younger brother are entirely dependent on him. So Ulzii competes in ingenuity and resourcefulness to feed her family and heat the yurt.

Outside, it’s -35 degrees. When the coal runs out, the whole siblings find themselves in danger. However, Ulzii dreams. He dreams of participating in the national physical sciences competition. His goal: to get a scholarship and have a salary later to get his family out of poverty. “If I cry, I will feel defeated”, he admits. So, Ulzii has no doubts, he fights, falls, gets up… then falls, then gets up…

The people of the yurts

Mongolian filmmaker Zoljargal Purevdash tells a universal story, a fight, a revolt against an unjust order. On the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, a neighborhood of yurts where economic refugees are settled, forced to leave their land for the capital in search of work, is subject to all exclusions.

The distance between the Ulaanbaatar of buildings and that of yurts is measured in light years. The inhabitants of the yurts are accused of polluting the atmosphere. “I grew up in this district and still live there. I know that no one is burning coal to poison the other side of town. What we are breathing is not smoke, it is smoke. poverty”protests Zoljargal Purevdash. If only I could hibernate, a great universal, sensitive and intelligent film.

Form

Title : “If only I could hibernate”

Realization : Zoljargal Purevdash

Gender : Drama

Duration : 1h38

Exit : January 10, 2024

Distribution : Battsoog Uurtsaikh. Tuguldur Batsaikhan and Nominjiguur Tsend

Native country :Mongolia

Synopsis: Ulzii, a teenager from a deprived neighborhood of Ulaanbaatar, is determined to win a science competition to obtain a scholarship. His mother, illiterate, finds a job in the countryside, abandoning him, his brother and his sister, despite the harshness of the winter. Torn between the need to take care of his siblings and his desire to study for the competitive exam, Ulzii has no choice: he must agree to put himself in danger to provide for the needs of his family…