“Love can never be measured by sacrifice.”
Myn Bala: Warriors of
the Steppe is the story of Sartai, a Kazakh boy who witnesses his village’s
destruction and his family’s death at the hands of Dzungars. Seven years later,
he’s become the de facto leader of their band of Kazakh refugees living in the mountains.
With his best friends, Taimas and Korlan, Sartai leads a small group of young
warriors in attacks against the Dzungars while their grandfather figure attempts
to convince the khans of the area to unite and fight off the invaders. Some
still resist and choose to cooperate with the Dzungars. Zere, the object of
Sartai’s affection, is the daughter of one such khan.
Myn Bala: Warriors of
the Steppe is the story of Sartai, a Kazakh boy who witnesses his village’s
destruction and his family’s death at the hands of Dzungars. Seven years later,
he’s become the de facto leader of their band of Kazakh refugees living in the mountains.
With his best friends, Taimas and Korlan, Sartai leads a small group of young
warriors in attacks against the Dzungars while their grandfather figure attempts
to convince the khans of the area to unite and fight off the invaders. Some
still resist and choose to cooperate with the Dzungars. Zere, the object of
Sartai’s affection, is the daughter of one such khan.
I know more about Kazakhstan than most Americans, but I
still don’t know a lot. The first half was a little hard for me to get into
because of the unfamiliar history, but the second half picked up steam and barreled
toward the conclusion. The heart of the film is Sartai’s need for revenge and
freedom, but the interactions between the three main teenagers added compelling
complexity. They’re like siblings, but Sartai is the leader, the standout, the
hero. Taimas’s descent into jealousy is much more than that because he’s the
one to shed light on how Sartai’s actions, however noble, are leading their
clansmen to their deaths.
And Korlan! I want to talk about Korlan because she is
amazing. She’s wicked good with a bow and can keep up with the boys in battles.
The movie is peppered with hints that she might be in love with Sartai, but
that falls by the wayside when Sartai is injured. Zere runs away to join him,
but when her father and his men come to retrieve her, they’re attacked by the
Dzugars. Korlan’s two companions fall in the fight, but it’s Korlan who gets
Zere out of the chaos. When Zere’s horse exhausts itself, Korlan offers her own
even as the Dzugars come galloping up the hill. Korlan tells Zere the horse
knows the way to their camp and sends her off, turning to face half a dozen
Dzugars with just a bow and some knives.
Myn Bala is good,
heart-pounding fun with a sweeping story and intricate costumes. The scenery is
gorgeous and shows off the lovely juxtaposition of the stunning mountains with
the flat steppes. It made me want to go back to Kaz to see all the places I
missed.
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