(2023, France, Mongolia, Portugal, The Neatherlands, Germany, Qatar, 104')
Ze is a seventeen-year-old shaman and high school senior. He studies hard to have a chance in the unwelcoming Mongolian society. At the same time, he does his best to help those around him by communicating with his ancestors – he is a shaman, after all. One day, Ze meets Maralaa, a young woman who is sick, and looks for help in Ze. He is instantly smitten with her, but Maralaa stands him off, making him question the limits of love, spirituality, and soul.
Mongolian filmmaker Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir debuted at Cannes in 2020 with Mountain Cat, also presented at the Sundance Film Festival. She went on to win the Sonje Award at the Busan International Film Festival. His later Snow in September (2022) won the Best Short Movie Award in the Orizzonti section in Venice last year, and the same at the TIFF.
