Abdulladzhan, or Dedicated to Steven Spielberg
July. 13,1992Considering that Musakov’s Abdulladzhan (1991) was dedicated to Steven Spielberg, we might suggest that these four boys embody nothing more complicated than a conflict of youthful innocence with some ominous threat—the basic workings of E.T. (1982) or War of the Worlds (2005), say. That threat, however, is best understood not through vague nationalism or warmed-over socialism, but through the other reference-point of Abdulladzhan—Tarkovskii’s Stalker (1980). Musakov leaves his boys in a simplified radiance so bright and so overexposed that it no longer looks like the skies of sunny Tashkent, but a disturbing, borderless luminosity to match the flat tonal range of Stalker’s “Zone.” Our Uzbek boys are nowhere in particular; this is a broader domain than anything international.
Reviews
This non-budget feature film is a kind of spoof on Spielberg's E.T., made with "Plan 9" attitude. It's is about an alien fallen down at the fields of Uzbek kolkhoz (agro-cooperative). Hence, many funny and bizarre things and accidents here and then. But the most hilarious thing there is in Russian voice-over made with a strong Uzbek accent. This a kind of sweat-hearted satire about decline of Soviet era in Central Asia.I think, it could be a cult film really, but it's mainly unknown. It may be a bit overextended towards it's ending, but it's still very funny.
Can it ever be the same again? All time best Sci-Fi picture! E.T. from Uzbekistan, giant mellons, worker Urmurdza makes VCRs and sells them for 3rub/kg, taking market from Japanese manufacturers.
