SPARROW

Life in Vasilievka, a small village in the middle of Siberian nowhere, is peaceful and sheltered. The community’s pride and joy is a herd of horses of reputedly mythological origin: generations of villagers have fed the animals, even in times of material hardship. Then the community decides to sell the horses to a butchery in order to pay off debts, and the smouldering conflict between traditional values and present-day needs flares up – the sharpwitted Mitya refuses to endorse the plan. Shiller’s documentary background becomes apparent in the restrained observational tone and epic landscape photography of his quietly humorous fiction film.