Son of Mongolia: A strange, dusty bit of history

Wait, what am I watching?

If you’re looking for a breezy Saturday afternoon watch, maybe skip this. Unless, of course, you’re the type of person who gets a kick out of 1930s Soviet-era propaganda masquerading as a folk tale. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re a sucker for old films that feel like they were stitched together by people who really, really wanted you to know about border security, you’ll find some weird gems here.

The whole thing is essentially a rural romance that got a massive dose of political steroids. Our guy Aruns is just a shepherd who wants to get married. But the movie keeps dragging him away from the romance to deal with spies and looming invasions. It’s like if The Sunshine Trail suddenly decided to pivot into a military thriller halfway through.

The vibe

The actors are actually from the Ulan Bator state theater, and you can tell. There’s this stage-like quality to their movements that makes the vast Mongolian landscape feel almost like a set piece. Sometimes it’s grand and sweeping, and other times it just feels like everyone is performing in a very large, very windy room. 🐎

There’s this one scene where Aruns is trying to be heroic, and it just goes on for about 40 seconds too long. You can almost see the director whispering, 'Act more patriotic!' and the poor guy is just staring off into the horizon like he’s trying to remember if he left the stove on back at the yurt.

• The horses look like they’re having a better time than the actors.
• The villains are so cartoonishly evil they might as well be twirling mustaches.
• The pacing is... let's call it 'rhythmic.'

It’s not as polished as The Story of a Cheat, but it’s got a pulse. There’s a strange, earnest energy here that modern movies almost never capture anymore. It’s clunky, sure. But it’s also undeniably human in a way that feels like a time capsule.

Honestly, the best moments aren't even the 'heroic' bits. It’s the quiet shots of the landscape where the movie stops trying to convince you to hate the enemy for five minutes. That’s when the film actually breathes. When the plot kicks back in, it’s all shouting and bad intentions, but the scenery? Top tier.

Don't look for a deep, nuanced take on the human condition here. Just watch it for the weird historical disconnect and the fact that it exists at all. Sometimes that’s enough. 🎞️