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From distant Mongolia comes one of the most interesting titles of the weekend in theaters: “The Last Moon of September”, debut behind the camera for Amarsalkhan Baljinnyam.
The new director also plays the protagonist Tulga, a man who has lived in the city for several years. However, when his elderly father falls ill, he decides to return to his home village to assist him. After his parent’s death, Tulga chooses to remain and live in the hills, determined to complete a task that he had promised his father to complete before the arrival of the last full moon of September.
One day, while working in the fields, Tulga comes across a boy of about ten years old, who lives with his grandparents because his mother works in the city. Initially, a challenging relationship is established between them, which will gradually smooth out, leaving room for a bond of respect and sharing.
It is precisely around the relationship between the two that this film of strong humanity develops, in which the adult takes the child under his protective wing, trying to offer him that paternal affection that he needs and that he had never had before. granted by her father. If in the initial part the film struggles a bit to get going, the narrative intensity grows as the minutes pass, reaching its peak when the last full moon of September approaches, at the same time as Tulga realizes that there are a few days left to spend surrounded by nature before his return to the city.
The nostalgia of a changing landscape
There is a lot of melancholy in this story of two fatherless boys who meet, a feeling that is not only linked to their personal stories, but also to the story of the surrounding landscape. “The Last Moon of September” is also a film about relationships between human beings and the environment around them, in whose change and in the passage from a natural space to a space built by machinery and tractors one perceives a nostalgia capable of touching particularly deep chords. There is also some immature passage in which one notices which for Amarsalkhan Baljinnyam is the first test behind the camera, but throughout this vision, marked by a contemplative rhythm for almost its entire duration, the director’s sensitivity is perceived and the looks of the two main characters are worth more than many words.
For anyone looking for an unconventional work to see this weekend, it’s definitely a film not to be missed.
“The Last Moon of September” and the other films of the week
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The truth according to Maureen K.
Also hitting theaters this week is “The Truth According to Maureen K.” by Jean-Paul Salomé, starring Isabelle Huppert. The French actress plays Maureen Kearney, an important trade unionist who is found in her home after a serious attack. Given the gravity of what happened, the investigations become increasingly intense, as search for further details. While new elements come to light for the reconstruction of the facts, the investigators begin to suspect that Maureen is not the victim. Based on a true story, “The truth according to Maureen K.” it is a tight thriller capable of engaging, even if it takes a few too many breaks in the central part, due to a rhythm that works in alternating phases. The story, however, is exciting and shot in an incisive way by Jean-Paul Salomé, who signs what he to date it is the best film of his career, despite the fact that he still lacks the great sparks to be able to create a completely complete work. Excellent performance by Isabelle Huppert who confirms herself, for the umpteenth time, one of the most important actresses of cinema contemporary.