Pradip Biswas: POMGRANATE ORCHARD:ILGAR NAFAJ’S MEANINGFUL WORK.
PRADIP BISWAS
Dir. Ilgar Najaf. Azerbaijan. 2017. 90 mins
Ilgar Nafaj, two-film director, somewhat reaps critical and good response from some International Film Festivals already. The film Pomgranate Orchard is more of a film that demonstrates urban pollution into the agrarian belt. The film is said to have been influenced by Anton Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard. Pomegranate Orchard (Nar baği) is a well balanced and measured family drama set against the panoramic view and agrarian backdrop of Pomgranate plantation. This plantation shows simultaneously similar competitive parallel Pomgranate Orchards cultivated by other neighbours in the manor. From it we confront a distraught picture of woes and fears as the head of the family, old father Shamil finds it touch to carry on the business after so many years. The film was presented at IFFK, Kerala this month.
The film portrays hard times passing through invasion of modernity that affects Shamil, his family and the conventional tacky business. We surely understand the director’s tension as the film tackles agrarian elements in small state like Azarbizan. No doubt, the atmosphere seems somewhat calm, largely silent and slow-paced but under the surface and veneer of which lies quaint slews of agitating emotions and fears. The film was lauded at the Karlovy Vary film festival in 2017 and shards of lateral sights and reality offer the film a marked high profile. It is indeed an event to have seen the film at International Film Festival of Kerala attended by the director Ilgar Nafaj. Indeed, Azarbizan does not produce many films due to paucity of backing and fund. Said Ilgar Nafaj: “ I am driven out from Armenia my home state and I had to take shelter at Azarbizan, a country steeped in usual wants, less comfort and various shortcomings. It being a small state after the dismantling of USSR, Azarbizan had to confront many ethnic clashes, new crisis not faced beforehand. Yet being within it, I have tried with my own means and assets to make my second film. I was rather shaky initially as I do not know how my film, ridden with crisis, bad state of economy, could make a breakthrough in the world film market. This fear still haunts me.”
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While watching the film of modest duration, I seem to have noticed absence of verbal dialogue, relevant communication, dirge of family drama and calibrated pace of the film. A doubt is whipped up the moment Shamil’s son Gabil returns home after twelve years. Shamil is not happy with the fact why his son ultimately returns home for what objective. Is his son beyond corruption, doubt or natural suspicion!!! Shamil gradually comes to know that his son has returned home to sell their Pomgranate Orchard that fed the poor family for years. As always, the intention of his son Gabil has caught the attention of Shamil and he is afraid of losing his heritage, traditional bread-winner Pomgranate Orchard. Gabil indeed has paraded his mercenary attitude saying he could take the family to Russia to which Shamil has had an active disagreement with his son.
The coda part is pathetic, sad and remorseful as the family is ready to move out despite Shamil’s opposition to it. Ilgar has taken all possible means to structure his work and carried it with a little slow pace and more of silence which is so rare in post-modern cinema. It is a quiet work, haunted night sequence and lyrical rythm of the film are sure to rivet our keen moods and emotions. Images mark the film on a great note and make the film a moving one. What is required is that you need to have patience and a meditative mood to get at the inner movement and meaning of the film. Najaf’s film finds the post modern world a corrupt refuge, encroaching on the idyll of agrarian life that holds sway to a large scale.
Pomgranate Orchard is thus a very good film, if not a masterpiece, which is verily rare at the current times.
