Jamilia (Djamilia) (NR)

synopsis

The novella A Search for Jamilia by Kyrgyz author Chingiz Aitmatov is about a woman who leaves her husband to run off with her lover. This mesmerizing documentary, filmed in Super 8, uses the literary character Jamilia as a subject to prompt conversations with women in Kyrgyzstan and gain access to their worlds. The result is a set of portraits whose beauty reflects both the candor of Aitmatov's novel and the strength of today's Jamilas.