In the time of inflation and poverty, sheep start to disappear in a small village in Kyrgyzstan. Centered around the investigation into the sheep thefts, the film tells the hardly trivial stories of some village people, such as an ardent believer of Islam, the once dominant religion in Kyrgyzstan, a new believer of Jehovah′s Witnesses, a socialist obsessed with the past, an ex socialist who decides to turn into a capitalist, and an alcoholic romanticist who cries over the beauty of nature and the earth. With the wind of change blowing, the past and the present are chaotically intertwined in this small village. However, director Ernest Abdyjaparov does not intend to hastily clear up this chaos. Instead, through the heartfelt images and thoughtful dialogues, he affirms the indestructible vitality of life, stressing that Kyrgyzstani people will survive as long as they have the earth to plow and people to do it, regardless of whatever changes come their way. It is surprising that Saratan is the director′s feature debut considering his talent with grand narratives which encompass politics, economics, and religion laconically yet in all their significance and complexity. (Michelle Sohn)