“Luna Papa” Mamurakat, the heroine dancing on the moon

A reborn heroine

The small village in Tajikistan where "Luna Papa" was filmed has an undeveloped atmosphere. The vast set, stretching 3.5 kilometers, built in the border area of ​​Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is reminiscent of a windswept wilderness, a Western movie setting, and above all, the Hollywood desert of the silent film era. The fictional village does not have a very well-developed infrastructure. There is also an episode during filming in which most of the set was destroyed by heavy rain.

The locomotive in his debut feature film, "The Boy Who Got Into the Locomotive" (1991). The gondola in his second film, "Kosh Ba Kosh" (1993). In Khudoinazarov's films, vehicles have played the role of a rescue ship that protects against enemies while also being a road movie-like stage set. In "Luna Papa," Mam-Rakatt becomes the "machine" itself. Mam-Rakatt is forced to protect himself. As the wounded Mam-Rakatt pushes forward, a new story is born.

Mamlakat loves theater. The theater scenes depicted in this film create a festive space with picturesque beauty. Mamlakat dreams of performing. Mamlakat's mother died when she was born. She loved singing and dancing. The festive theatrical space of this film resonates with the rhythm of the music Mamlakat would have heard in her mother's womb.

Mamlaqat misses the performance of the theater company that came to the village. She is unable to see her favorite play. Then, one night when the moon shines with a mysterious light, Mamlaqat slips down a cliff into the depths of the forest as a girl lost in a dream. She is united with a fantastical shadow man and later finds out that she is pregnant.

Mamlakat and her family begin a search for the father of their unborn child, which unfolds into the destruction of the festive theatrical space. The father and brother repeatedly interrupt the play, casting doubt on the actors and questioning them absurdly. This slapstick space is brilliantly directed. An unpredictable comedy unfolds, where you never know what's going to come out of nowhere. An unexpected story is born by straying from the rails of the story onstage. A new "play" is born from the destruction. The starring role in this absurd comedy is of course Mamlakat. At this point, she is unconsciously reborn as the "heroine" of the play she has dreamed of.

dance on the moon