If Only I Could Hibernate
In Zoljargal Purevdash’s appealing Mongolian drama, a teenage boy is torn between his family responsibilities and his own aspirations.
The novelty value to be found in this appealing film lies not in its story but in its setting. If Only I Could Hibernate takes place in Mongolia and the filmmaker, Zoljargal Purevdash, sets it in the city of Ulaanbattar where she herself was born in 1990. Such an unfamiliar location – and one nicely shot in wide screen and colour by Davaanyam Delgerjargal – provides its own pleasures while the tale told is engaging too. It is one that is hardly original since it concerns a teenage boy, Ulzii played by Battsooj Uurtsaikh, who is living in poverty but who has a skill that might enable him to win a scholarship and move on to obtain a better education than he could otherwise get.
Hope of personal advancement may be involved here but it's also an opportunity to become in time a more effective breadwinner. Yet his situation is complicated by the situation in which his family already find themselves. This involves far more than just having to live in a yurt on the outskirts which they cannot afford to heat properly. They had previously lived in the country but then moved to the city where Ulzii’s father has died. His widow (Ganchimeg Sandagdorj) is something of an alcoholic and that adds to the Ulzii’s responsibilities for his younger siblings who are three in number. Aware of the opportunities that could open up for him by advancing beyond his present schooling, Ulzii is determined to stay put and does so even when his mother decides to go back to their old home taking the youngest child, still a baby, with her. That leaves Ulzii as the one in charge and finds his sister Tungaa (Nominjiguur Tsend) and his brother Erkhemee (Tuguldur Batsaikhan) largely relying on his care.
Ulzii is not always somebody who makes the right choices and his pride is involved when he fails to acknowledge the extent of the plight that they are all in when talking to a neighbouring couple (Davaasamba Sharaw and Sukhee Lodonchuluun) who, elderly but kind, would be willing to help if asked. Nevertheless, as in other not dissimilar tales, Ulzii is a decidedly sympathetic figure to whom the viewer warms. It certainly helps that Uurtsaikh is so convincing in the way that he portrays him, but the validity that is felt in this story may well be enhanced further by the fact that there are clearly some elements here that are autobiographical. Purevdash was herself a student who in her youth displayed a passion for physics before gaining a scholarship to a distinguished high school. For this, her first feature film, she has chosen physics as the subject in which Ulzii shows special skill receiving encouragement from a teacher (Batzorig Sukhbaatar) who recognises his potential when it comes to obtaining a scholarship. No wonder that the film feels so heartfelt and so persuasive.
That is not to say that If Only I Could Hibernate (a phrase used by Ulzii’s brother when the cold winter renders their situation worse) is a masterpiece. Occasionally it does suggest a first feature, be it in early scenes that are so short as to seem bitty or in the conclusion which could be rather more detailed to advantage. It could also be said that the film comes across as a small-scale work, but its sincerity is undoubted and there is sufficient quality here for it to have won three awards. Part of its ethnic appeal is to be found in the music score by Johanni Curtet and there are enough attractive elements present to suggest that those who loved Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019) will similarly warm to this film. As a debut feature which brings Mongolian life to the screen in such a caring and human way, If Only I Could Hibernate leaves one hoping that Zoljargal Purevdash will be able to build on this foundation.
Original title: Baavgai Bolohson.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Battsooj Uurtsaikh, Ganchimeg Sandagdorj, Tuguldur Batsaikhan, Batzorig Sukhbaatar, Nominjiguur Tsend, Davaasamba Sharaw, Sukhee Lodonchuluun, Batmandakh Batchuluun, Munkhjargal Nyamdavaa, Batsaikhan Battulga, Urnikhbayer Battogtokh, Enkhnaran Ganzorig, Taivanbat Alexandar and Berkhel.
Dir Zoljargal Purevdash, Pro Zoljargal Purevdash, Frédéric Corvez and Maéva Savinien Screenplay Zoljargal Purevdash, Ph Davaanyam Delgerjargal, Art Dir Ariuntugs Tserenpil, Ed Alexandra Strauss,, Music Johanni Curtet, Costumes Ariunsetgel Tserenpil.
Amygdala Films/Urban Factory-Conic.
96 mins. Mongolia/France/Switzerland/USA/Qatar/Japan/China. 2022. UK Rel: 19 April 2024. Cert. 12A.
