THE WOUNDED ANGEL (RANENYY ANGEL) World Cinema

In the dry, austere beauty of a small Kazakh village, the dreams of four adolescent boys are challenged by the harsh realities of post-Soviet life. For Zharas, the shame of having a thief for a father drives a fierce self-righteousness that leads to an unexpected twist; for sensitive Chick, the breaking of his stunning, preternatural singing voice unleashes a simmering rage and sends him into dangerous emotional terrain; intense loner Toad scavenges metals from an abandoned mine, soon finding himself in the company of a strange band of underground dwellers; and studious Aslan, the pride of the village, finds his hopes of a medical school scholarship jeopardized by an unplanned pregnancy, and his illusions devastatingly shattered. With otherworldly cinematography by HOLY MOTORS lenser Yves Cape, director/writer Emir Baigazin’s follow-up to his staggering debut HARMONY LESSONS (AFI FEST 2013) is a powerful and uncompromised vision. — Cedar Sherbert