O JOVEM XAMÃ

UMA CIDADE DE VENTO E ESPÍRITOS ESVOAÇANTES

ENTREVISTA COM A REALIZADORA LKHAGVADULAM PUREV-OCHIR

NA SUA PRIMEIRA INCURSÃO NO TERRENO DAS LONGAS-METRAGENS, LKHAGVADULAM PUREV-OCHIR TRAZ-NOS A HISTÓRIA DE ZE, UM ADOLESCENTE A QUEM CALHOU A RESPONSABILIDADE SER O XAMÃ DA SUA ALDEIA NOS ARRABALDES DE ULAN BATOR.

O FILME FOCA-SE NO DIA-A-DIA DA SUA PERSONAGEM PRINCIPAL E NAS SUAS CADÊNCIAS DA VIDA JUVENIL, JUSTAPOSTAS COM O QUE AO INÍCIO PARECE UMA INCONVENIÊNCIA ESPIRITUAL. RAPIDAMENTE PERCEBEMOS, ATRAVÉS DE UMA REPRESENTAÇÃO SUBTIL MAS EFICAZ DA ESPIRITUALIDADE NO QUOTIDIANO NOS SÍTIOS QUE MENOS ESPERAMOS, QUE ESTA INCONVENIÊNCIA FAZ ECO – PARTICULARMENTE NO MODO EM QUE AS VÁRIAS RELAÇÕES INTERPERSSOAIS E SOCIOCULTURAIS DA COMUNIDADE REPRESENTADA – NA VIDA NO SEU SENTIDO MAIS PLENO, E MAIS DO QUE PERCEBER ISTO, O ESPECTADOR SENTE-O.

TIVE A OPORTUNIDADE DE TROCAR IMPRESSÕES COM A REALIZADORA SOBRE O PROCESSO DE PRODUÇÃO E DISTRIBUIÇÃO DE O JOVEM XAMÃ, A REPRESENTAÇÃO DA ESPIRITUALIDADE, O BINÓMIO TRADIÇÃO/CONTEMPORANEIDADE, E MUITO MAIS (ENTREVISTA EM INGLÊS):

MANUEL OLIVEIRA: I WOULD LIKE TO START BY ASKING ABOUT THE PROCESS OF BRINGING THIS FILM TO PORTUGUESE THEATERS AND IT BEING PRODUCED BY UMA PEDRA NO SAPATO. HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS CO-PRODUCTION AND THE RESULTING INTEREST IN A FILM ROOTED IN A REALITY SO DIFFERENT FROM THE PORTUGUESE EXPERIENCE?

LKHAGVADULAM PUREV-OCHIR: I WAS VERY LUCKY TO FIND A PARTNER IN UMA PEDRA NO SAPATO. FILIPA AND RACHEL, MY PRODUCERS FROM PORTUGAL, HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ME AND MY JOURNEY AS FIRST-TIME FILMMAKER. I FEEL VERY LUCK TO HAVE THESE WOMEN BY MY SIDE. THE CO-PRODUCTION HAPPENED NATURALLY BECAUSE I’M LIVING IN PORTUGAL SINCE 2016. I WANTED TO DO THE POST-PRODUCTION OF THE FILM HERE BECAUSE I HAVE A SMALL CHILD AND DIDN’T WANT TO TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH. SO MOST OF THE POST-PRODUCTION WAS DONE IN PORTUGAL. ALSO, I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE WORKING WITH PORTUGUESE ARTISTS. I’M INCREDIBLY HAPPY ABOUT MY COLLABORATION WITH DOP VASCO VIANA WHICH HAPPENED QUITE SERENDIPITIOUSLY WHEN THE PREVIOUS FRENCH DOP COULD NO LONGER DO THE FILM. VASCO’S AN AMAZING CINEMATOGRAPHER AND A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING. IT WAS A PURE JOY TO WORK WITH HIM. WE’VE CONTINUED OUR COLLABORATION IN MY LATEST FILM, WHICH IS A SHORT FILM. AND I HOPE THAT WE WILL WORK MORE TIMES IN THE FUTURE. AND THE SENTIMENT EXTENDS TO THE WONDERFUL TEAM AT UMA PEDRA NO SAPATO.

MANUEL OLIVEIRA: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK ON A FILM WITH SUCH STRONG CULTURAL IDENTITY MARKERS WITH A TRULY MULTICULTURAL TEAM?

LKHAGVADULAM PUREV-OCHIR: I THINK THE KEY TO MAKING A FILM WITH SUCH A MULTI-CULTURAL TEAM IS TO WORK WITH INTELLIGENT AND CURIOUS HUMAN BEINGS, WHICH WAS THE CASE ON MY FILM. MY FRENCH AND PORTUGUESE PRODUCERS WERE ALL SENSITIVE TO THE PARTICULARITIES OF MY INDIVIDUAL SITUATION, THE FACT THAT I’M A FIRST-TIME FILMMAKER, THAT I’M COMING FROM MONGOLIA, THAT I’M A NEW MOTHER… I’M VERY HAPPY THAT I HAD THESE WONDERFUL WOMEN BY MY SIDE.

BEFORE THE SHOOTING, I WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE MULTI-CULTURAL ASPECT OF OUR SHOOTING CREW. THERE WERE MANY LANGUAGES ON SET (MONGOLIAN, ENGLISH, FRENCH, PORTUGUESE, AND RUSSIAN), SO I WAS WORRIED THAT THINGS WOULD GET LOST IN TRANSLATION. BUT THERE WAS THE PASSION OF FILMMAKING UNITING US, AND I’M HAPPY TO SAY THAT IT WAS QUITE A PEACEFUL SHOOT. THERE WERE OF COURSE UNEXPECTED TROUBLES AND PROBLEMS, VERY NATURAL TO A FILM SHOOT, BUT WE OVERCAME IT. I ALSO THINK THAT VASCO VIANA WAS A BIG PART OF HOW PEACEFUL AND FRIENDLY THE ENVIRONMENT WAS. HE’S THE DOP, SO THE WHOLE CAMERA CREW LOOKED UP TO HIM. BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, WE WERE SETTING THE TONE FOR THE CAST AND CREW, AND WE ARE BOTH ADAPTABLE, SO THE SHOOT WENT VERY SMOOTHLY.

FOR THE POST-PRODUCTION, MY EDITOR MATTHIEU TAPONIER, WHO IS FRENCH, HAD EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH FILMS IN LANGUAGES HE DIDN’T KNOW. AND HE’S A NATURALLY CURIOUS AND INTELLIGENT HUMAN BEING, SO HE WAS VERY SENSITIVE TO THE CULTURAL IDENTITY OF THE FILM. HE WAS AWARE OF “WESTERNIZED” PERSPECTIVES AND BIASES, SO HE WAS CAREFUL TO INVOLVE ME AND ASK ME MANY QUESTIONS ALONG THE EDITING PROCESS.

THE MUSIC WAS COMPOSED BY THE PORTUGUESE MUSIC COMPOSER VASCO MENDONÇA. WE BASED THE MUSICAL IDENTITY ON A MONGOLIAN FOLK SONG, AND VASCO COMPOSED A BEAUTIFUL, UNIQUE MUSICAL MOMENTS FROM THIS FOLK SONG WHICH IS QUITE PARTICULAR AND TRADITIONAL PIECE OF MUSIC.

SO, IT WAS A VERY HARMONIOUS COLLABORATION, AND I WAS VERY HAPPY TO WORK WITH THESE AMAZING ARTISTS WHO ARE SO TALENTED AND UNIQUE IN THEIR OWN WAYS AND WHO LAID THEIR TALENT FOR THE SERVICE OF THIS FILM.

MANUEL OLIVEIRA: CITY OF WIND (o jovem xamã) HAS HAD A REMARKABLE JOURNEY ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. HOW HAS THE FILM BEEN RECEIVED BY DIFFERENT AUDIENCES?

LKHAGVADULAM PUREV-OCHIR: GENERALLY SPEAKING THE RECEPTION OF THE FILM HAS BEEN VERY POSITIVE. SOME AUDIENCES ARE MORE CURIOUS ABOUT THE SHAMANIC ASPECT, AND SOME AUDIENCES CONNECT MORE WITH THE ADOLESCENCE ASPECT OF THE FILM. SO THE QUESTIONS AFTER THE SCREENINGS CAN VARY. THERE IS ALSO A CURIOSITY TOWARDS ULAANBAATAR CITY, WHICH I’M ALWAYS HAPPY TO ANSWER. THE MONGOLIAN AUDIENCE WAS ALSO VERY FOCUSED ON THIS ASPECT OF THE STORY AS WELL, PARTICULARLY ABOUT THE DEPICTION OF THE YURT DISTRICT. SO THE REACTION TO THE FILM, THE QUESTIONS AND CURIOSITY AFTER THE FILM, HAVE BEEN VARIED, WHICH MAKES ME VERY HAPPY.

MANUEL OLIVEIRA: ALTHOUGH IT IS GROUNDED IN CULTURAL ASPECTS THAT MAY BE SEEN AS EXOTIC, ITS THEMES – FROM ITS SPIRITUALITY TO THE TRANSITION FROM ADOLESCENCE TO ADULTHOOD – END UP BEING UNIVERSAL. IN YOUR VIEW, WHAT ARE THE KEY ASPECTS OF THE FILM THAT EXPLAIN THIS UNIVERSALITY?

LKHAGVADULAM PUREV-OCHIR: I KNEW THAT I WAS WORKING WITHIN CLICHÉ TERRITORY. ADOLESCENT LOVE IS A UNIVERSAL TOPIC THAT HAS BEEN INTERPRETED IN CINEMA COUNTLESS TIMES. I WANTED TO WORK WITH THESE CINEMATIC CLICHÉS – OF THE FIRST ENCOUNTER, OF THE FIRST KISS, THE FIRST SEX, THE FIRST DANCE, ETC. – AND WORK THEM INTO THE EVERYDAY, BANAL LIVES OF THESE TWO MODERN MONGOLIAN TEENAGERS. SO WE HAVE THE ENCOUNTER, BUT IT’S DURING A SHAMANIC RITUAL. WE HAVE THE FIRST DATE, BUT IT’S FRAMED WITHIN THE SCOPE OF ULAANBAATAR CITY AND THEIR “MONGOLIAN DREAM” FOR THE FUTURE. IT’S A UNIVERSAL STORY, BUT THIS STORY IS DISCOVERED THROUGH A VERY PARTICULAR LENS. SO EVERYONE CAN WATCH THE FILM AND BE REMINDED OF THEIR FIRST ENCOUNTERS WITH LOVE AND SEX, BUT THEY WILL ALSO DISCOVER A NEW COUNTRY, A NEW LANGUAGE, NEW FACES, AND A NEW CITY.

MANUEL OLIVEIRA: THE FILM REPRESENTS A MULTITUDE OF DUALITIES, MOST OF WHICH REVOLVE AROUND THE TRADITIONAL-VERSUS-CONTEMPORARY DICHOTOMY. HOWEVER, A CLOSER LOOK REVEALS THAT THE INHABITED SPACES OF THE CHARACTERS – RURAL OR URBAN – SEEM TO PROFOUNDLY SHAPE THEM AS WELL. WHAT ROLE DID THE CITY AND THE VILLAGE PLAY IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING THIS STORY, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THIS FILM?

LKHAGVADULAM PUREV-OCHIR: LIKE THE PROTAGONIST, ULAANBAATAR CITY IS A CITY THAT IS GOING THROUGH ITS “ADOLESCENCE”. IT’S A RAPIDLY TRANSFORMING CITY, EXPANDING BEYOND ITS INFRASTRUCTURAL CAPACITY. THE YURT DISTRICT IS ON THE MARGINS OF ULAANBAATAR CITY. IT IS THE EXPANDING PART OF THE CITY WHERE NOMADS MOVE TO AFTER ABANDONING NOMADIC LIFE; THEREFORE, THE YURT DISTRICT IS GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH BACKWARDNESS, TEMPORARINESS, AND POVERTY. AND I WANTED GO AGAINST THIS NARRATIVE BY SETTING THE CENTRAL UNIVERSE OF THE FILM IN THE YURT DISTRICT. THE CITY CENTER IS THE “MARGINS” IN THE FILM; IT’S IN THE DISTANCE, IN THE BACKGROUND. THE CHARACTERS MUST JOURNEY TO THIS “MARGIN” IN ORDER TO GROW OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND BECOME ADULTS.

MANUEL OLIVEIRA: ONE OF THE MOST EMOTIONAL MOMENTS IN THE FILM WAS NEAR THE END, IN A COLLECTIVE EXPRESSION OF REBELLION BY THE STUDENTS AGAINST THE TEACHER’S DISCIPLINARY RIGIDITY. DOES THIS ANIMALISTIC AND SPIRITUAL SIDE OF LIFE ALSO SERVE AS AN ESCAPE FROM THE HARSH DEMANDS OF CONTEMPORARY LIFE?

LKHAGVADULAM PUREV-OCHIR: I DIDN’T WANT THE SPIRITUALITY IN THE FILM TO BE SOMETHING FANTASTIC. I SEARCHED FOR SPIRITUALITY IN THE DAILY, MUNDANE MOMENTS OF THESE CHARACTERS AND NOT ONLY DURING THE SHAMANIC RITUALS. I HAD TO DEFINE WHAT SPIRITUALITY IS IN ORDER TO SEARCH FOR IT IN THE MUNDANE MOMENTS. AND I ASKED MYSELF WHAT IT IS THAT FEELS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THESE RITUALS? AND THE ANSWER WAS IN THE INTIMACY AND CLOSENESS THAT WAS CREATED BETWEEN PEOPLE. SHAMANIC RITUALS ARE INHERENTLY INTIMATE, NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE PHYSICAL CLOSENESS, BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTEDNESS.

THEREFORE, I WANTED TO CREATE A SENSE OF CLOSENESS BETWEEN CHARACTERS, AS WELL AS BETWEEN THE AUDIENCE AND THE FILM, THROUGH THE CAMERAWORK AND EDITING. AND THROUGH THE STORY, I TRIED TO EXPRESS HOW FAR THIS SENSE OF SPIRITUALITY AND INTIMACY CAN GO. WE CAN BE CLOSE TO NATURE AND TO OUR ANCESTORS, PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY GONE AND PASSED AWAY. WE CAN TALK TO THEM AND EXPRESS OUR EMOTIONS TO THEM. IN THIS SENSE, SPIRITUALITY CAN BE SOMETHING VERY MUNDANE AND ALSO COMPLEX.

MANUEL OLIVEIRA: WHICH OF THESE WORLDS – RURAL AND TRADITIONAL, OR URBAN AND CONTEMPORARY – TRULY MAKES ZE AND MARALAA PRISONERS? IS IT AT ALL POSSIBLE TO EXPERIENCE ADULTHOOD FULLY – IN MONGOLIA AND EVERYWHERE AROUND THE MODERN WORLD – OR WILL THERE ALWAYS BE CONFLICT BETWEEN THESE TWO WORLDS?

LKHAGVADULAM PUREV-OCHIR: IN THE FILM THERE IS NOT AN OUTWARD CONFLICT BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY. THERE IS TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO THAT THE PROTAGONISTS MUST NAVIGATE. AND THIS TENSION IS SOMETHING THAT EXTENDS AND DISTENDS. IT’S A LIVE PROCESS AND A NOT A SIMPLE CHOICE BETWEEN TWO PATHS. ZE IS AT ONCE TRADITIONAL AND MODERN, SOMETIMES ONE MORE THAN THE OTHER. THE FILM IS ABOUT HOW NAVIGATING THIS TENSION CREATES AN EMOTIONAL BURDEN.

CONVIDO TODOS A ESTAREM PRESENTES NA SESSÃO DE ESTREIA DE O JOVEM XAMÃ NO CINEMA UCI EL CORTE INGLÉS, COM A PRESENÇA DA REALIZADORA, NO DIA DIA 14 DE NOVEMBRO, PELAS 21:00.

O JOVEM XAMÃ VAI ESTAR EM VÁRIAS SALAS PORTUGUESAS EM TODO O TERRITÓRIO A PARTIR DE DIA 14 DE NOVEMBRO. PARA MAIS INFORMAÇÕES ACOMPANHEM A CINETOSCÓPIO ATRAVÉS DESTE LINK.