40-ci qapi (2009) Reviews

• A Kid Comes of Age in Azerbaijan

  Thistle-32010-03-23

  Yesterday, I spent time in a place I will never go, I suspect, Azerbaijan. The language is beautiful. But, life is hard, in some areas. The 40th Door is the nickname of a small village, just outside the capital of Baku. A boy named Rustam lives there with his mother. He calls every elder in the village "Uncle" or "Aunt," but I suspect that is just their way. I don't think they're all really related. Rustam is a beautiful boy, smart and a help to his mother. He's at that tough age of 14, when he wants at times to be a child but is forced to be a man. His father is killed. And, while his mother wants him to continue going to school, he endeavors to find work to make money, so they won't have to sell off the only prized possession they have, an ancient rug that belonged to his father. He seeks the help of a charismatic character who takes him to Baku and gives him a glimpse into a life of crime, but Rustam tries to hold on to his ideals. He tries to work the streets honestly, sees some of the finer things he'd like in life, but gangs who control the streets don't like his independence. I was really interested in the story, the acting was quite good, but there seemed to be a real lack of focus in the direction. Did Elchin Musaoglu want to show us Rustam's tough times with a realism? Or did he want to draw on the fairy tale origins of the term, The 40th Door? So many potentially interesting side stories were introduced and then just dropped: the drum, the hatmaker, the uncle. I was frustrated when it ended. I give The 40th Door a 7 out of 10.

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