The debut film by Malika Musaeva, a graduate of Alexander Sokurov’s studio. The international premiere took place at the Berlin International Film Festival (2023).
High school students Yakha and Madina are best friends who live in a small Chechen village. After school they walk through the endless fields and dream of the future. Despite others’ expectations and their own prejudices, they are trying to make an independent choice of the trajectory of their life. At the same time, Yakha’s older sister is torn between the desire to divorce the husband she doesn’t love and to live with her son, who will go to his father if his parents divorce.
The director’s careful consideration of youth and others’ expectations makes this a coming-of-age movie, but with a significant element of analysis of the cultural and historical context. This original look at Chechen culture by Malika Musaeva, who is of Chechen origin, shows how girls existing in various ways in a traditional society. For some it represents the possibility to choose a well-trodden path and follow the rules; for others it involves coming up against agonizing barriers and limitations.
The lightness of youth, which overcomes any prohibitions, is revealed through the use of non-professional actors on screen, whose portrayals cannot be called an imitation of reality. It is also present in the watercolor tones of the images, which are without sharp contrasts. The free camera work repeats the energetic movements of the girls and the unusual perspective of their gaze, whether exploring the landscape or observing a falling feather.
The Russian premiere of The Cage Is Looking for a Bird took place at the Spirit of Fire International Festival, where it was selected as best Russian debut. Khadija Bataeva, who plays Yakha, won the Alexander Abdulov Prize for best female role.
The film will be shown in Chechen with Russian subtitles.
The Cage Is Looking for a Bird
Director Malika Musaeva
France, Russia, 2023, 87 min.
12+