Majak

This elegiac, semi-autobiographical drama unfolds against the backdrop and legacy of the Caucasus wars of the early 1990s. Told with a dream-like intensity, a young woman returns to her home in a remote, war-ravaged Armenian village to persuade her grandparents to leave with her for safety in Moscow. Beautifully photographed and composed, and set to a hypnotic soundtrack, this poetic and moving film is in the great visual tradition of Tarkovsky and Paradjanov. An outstanding directorial debut by an immensely talented young filmmaker tragically taken too soon. (Second Run)