Close to Eden (1991)

The shepherd Gombo lives with his wife, three children and grandmother in a tent on the Mongolian steppe. They are pleased with their rustic conditions, until a Russian truck driver, ... See full summary »

Director:

Nikita Mikhalkov

Writers:

Rustam Ibragimbekov (screenplay), Rustam Ibragimbekov (story)

Stars:

Badema, Bayaertu, Vladimir Gostyukhin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Badema	...	Pagma
Bayaertu	...	Gombo
Vladimir Gostyukhin	...	Sergei
Babushka	...	Grandma
Larisa Kuznetsova	...	Marina
Jon Bochinski	...	Stanislas
Yongyan Bao	...	Bourma
Wurinile	...	Bouin
Biao Wang	...	Van Biao
Baoyinhexige	...	Bayartou
Nikolai Voshchilin	...	Nikolai
Jinsheng Bao

Storyline

The shepherd Gombo lives with his wife, three children and grandmother in a tent on the Mongolian steppe. They are pleased with their rustic conditions, until a Russian truck driver, Serguei, gets stuck with his truck nearby. The cultural gap between Gombo and Serguie seems invincible. But maybe they can learn a few things from each other?

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Plot Keywords:

truck | truck driver | steppes | shepherd | russian | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and thematic elements

Details

Country:

France Soviet Union

Language:

Mongolian Russian Mandarin

Release Date:

30 October 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Close to Eden

Filming Locations:

Hulun Buir Aimag, Inner Mongolia, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Camera One,Hachette Première,UGC Images

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film from Russia. Previous nominees from that country had been submitted from The Soviet Union. It lost to France's Indochine (1992).

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Connections

Featured in Al di là delle nuvole (1995)

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Soundtracks

Chanson "Les Collines de Mandchourie"
Richard Galliano, Accordion

User Reviews

A Plains like an Ocean.

"Close to Eden" (Russian, 1992): Living on the simple, harsh, flowing Steppes of China/Mongolia, we meet a traditional family. By the photography and music, it's clear from the start that we should to accept, if not admire, their difficult but very satisfying life. Yes, there are signs of contemporary urban society – the young son wears a baseball cap, the daughter plays the accordion, and the wife wants her husband to travel to the nearest city for condoms (they are already over the legal limit of children), and a television. Eventually in the position of helping a stranded Russian truck driver, the husband travels with him to an urban "center" and deals with "city" life. "Close to Eden" patiently mutates from a beautifully straight forward "document", to one full of symbols - not just the threat of encroaching urban blight, but reminders of their proud racial past. Eventually narrated by the fourth son (any more than two is illegal in rural China), and named after the great Genghis Khan, he completes the story long after his grandmother, parents, and original hut are gone.