Bosteri Beneath the Wheel Excerpt (2013)

Excerpt from the short documentary Bosteri Beneath the Wheel.

Bosteri is a village in the middle of the Kyrgyz steppe, on the edge of the Tien Shan mountain range. It is built on the banks of the sacred lake, Issyk Kul, one of the largest mountain lakes on the planet. This is a place where time seems to stand still – at least it would appear so for ten months of the year. That is when the big hotels and sanatoria are closed and cows graze in-between the empty funfair stalls on the beach under the big wheel which can be seen from far and wide. Iskandar is a shepherd; for as long as he can remember, he and his wife have brought their animals to graze on this meadow where rubbish left behind by the tourists now rots. Another individual beneath the big wheel is Evgeniy. He stands on the deserted banks of the Issyk Kul, stoically casting his fishing line even though he may not catch anything for days. And then there's Margarita, an euphoric pensioner who insists on going for her daily swim in spite of the late autumn chill, taking care that her woollen hat does not slip off her well-groomed head. A series of wonderful encounters with remarkable people the summer has left behind.