This new effort from the director of "Lugu nutvast kaamelist" -- a hit at Black Nights several years ago - is another film that treads the line between documentary realism and feature film. Quite conceivably, viewers may be put off by the slow pace and ostensibly unconvincing premise: a well-known Mongolian singer tries to keep a promise made to her grandmother on her deathbed - to repair a family heirloom from the mists of time, an old violin, and to rediscover a lost, once-popular folk song about Genghis Khan and his horses. The first time you squirm in your seat, though, I strongly recommend you stick it out, because you will soon be captivated by the grandeur of the open landscapes. This is really a road movie and sets up an encounter with folk characters through local folkloric songs, which use words and melody to tell the story of what happened to a people that once ruled a large part of the world. It is an appeal to the national subconscious: to awaken a source of national pride, to finally break the yoke of centuries of occupation and bring about a return to roots. This is a spiritually compelling film made using minimalist means. Tiina Lokk

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