Snob Movie Review: Mongol

Sergei Bodrov directs this Oscar-nominated film, which opens in limited release on June 6th.

This remarkable film tracks Genghis Khan's early years in the 11th and 12th centuries. We meet him as a young boy who must choose a wife to please his father. The girl he chooses, Borte, turns out to be his life-long love, for whom he will sacrifice a lot for. He is separated from his family and wife several times, escapes several times, and enslaved again several times. In between these episodes, he leads small armies against opposing tribes.

The performances, from a largely Mongol cast, are absolutely riveting and true. The younger actors are especially natural and fun to watch.

The film is breathtakingly shot by Rogier Stoffers and Sergei Trofimov. The landscapes are captured so whimsically, it reminded me of Eisenstein and Malick. The battle scenes are incredibly well done, and so unique, they never get tired.

All in all, this is probably the best historical/war/romance/biopic since Braveheart. It's also great to see a foreign-language film of this ilk.
During the Q&A, the director Bodrov mentioned the many hardships that they encountered during production (I can't even making a movie on this scale) and securing funds from many different countries. A figure like Khan is treated like a hero in some cultures, and a scoundrel in others.