Angel On The Right (Tajikistan)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Film: B-
As the former East Bloc countries enter the 21st
Century, each eventually try to find their identity beyond survival long after
the collapse of the Soviet Union. Djamshed
Usmonov’s Angel On The Right (2002) is a Gangster genre film that, like
many others from that part of the world, is as much about the locations as it
is the crimes committed. First Run
seems to feel this leans more towards the country and has issued it as part of
its Global Lens series.
The story concerns gangster Hamro (Maruf Pulodzoda) who
has a long history, a pre-teen son he did not know he even had and his sick
mother brings him back home from Moscow/St. Petersburg into a visit with more
shady individuals than he would like to be reunited with. It becomes a battle of retaining his life,
dignity, mother’s honor and dealing with a son he never had. Of course, not everything is that simple,
and it is all complicated enough.
Instead of exceeding its genre, it does it and the drama
at hand about equally well, with Usmonov’s screenplay delivering a world we
have not seen before. I just wish it
had been more about situations we had not seen before, yet it is not typical
genre formula. The factor of Muslim
religion is a unique twist, especially since it is not related to any terrorist
activities.
The letterboxed 1.66 X 1 image is fuzzy from the transfer,
but nicely shot by cinematographer Pascal Lagriffoul, who used non-scope
Technovision equipment with Kodak stocks.
Not only does this display some nice color quality, but it does this in
a way you have likely not seen before, since it turns out Tajikistan has its
own unique, cold look. Film fans will
want to see it for that if nothing else.
Dolby SR was the theatrical sound format, but the Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo has very little in the way of surrounds. This did likely make the audio clearer just the same. Extras include trailers for four other First
Run titles, Global Lens 2005 trailer, text on the Global Film Initiative &
on ten titles that are a part of it, director biography, brief text on the
country and a DVD-ROM features that offers a PDF format discussion guide. That’s not bad, and neither is the film, so
catch it if you get the chance.
- Nicholas Sheffo
