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Synopsis

We are on ancient Silk Route from Kyrgyzstan to China. An old truck driven by Sania is carrying the post-soviet scrap-metal to Chinese ironworks: through unpaved road, through the empty mountains, climbing on the Torugart pass 3750 m. above sea level. We are watching the last journey of some rusty industrial parts. On the way, we are getting to know the life of a few people – Russian origin driver Sania and his colleagues, scrap gatherer, lady operating makeshift ‘hostelries’ in wagons parked by the road.

This film history is linked with the Kyrgyz multigenerational family which lives in the At-Bashy Valley, at the route leading to China. Life passes slowly there, according to the nature cycle.

In China in Topa base, workers unload the cars with their own hands. There are crowds of them -dark-skinned, tired. Further on, the scrap will be taken by Chinese truck to the different world. There are concrete highways, huge petrol stations, shopping malls. In Urumchi ironworks, the metal is put into fireplace, is melting into red pig iron.

The film’s convention is determined by the atmosphere of the Kyrgyz province. The shots are long and wide, there is a lot of space in time, the everyday activities which take place on screen seemingly are often meaningless, which illustrates the attitude and mentality of the local people. Many situations are shown in the context of the nature. The descendants of herdsmen and huntsmen from valleys live in the foreground of the monumental Tien Shan mountains and amid the post-Soviet emptiness.