Afgon

his moving and thought-provoking story takes us back to 1988 in Uzbekistan, when the crumbling Soviet Union was in the final year of its war in Afghanistan. Three men are assigned to bring fallen soldiers to their home villages in Uzbekistan.

Akbar (Akbarkhuža Rasulov) is a staunch pacifist whose parents helped him avoid the draft, but the consequences of his decision have left him as troubled now as those who served. It’s hard for him to find a wife, for one thing – a proper man is one who has gone to war, after all! Abdullo (Dilmurod Massaidov) is an Afghan veteran, a good-hearted guy (although with a few screws loose). And Askar (Adiz Radžabov), who arrives in the village by special transport, is on the verge of committing suicide.

The three men have to deliver caskets containing their fallen countrymen back to their families. It’s no easy task, either mentally or physiclaly.

In many junctures in Estonian history, men had to put on a foreign uniform and go reluctantly off to war, so it’s easy for Estonians to understand these men. The film also gives us a chance to reflect on how ordinary people lived in a country that was also, like us, a Soviet republic. AFG’ON is also interesting for its depiction of Uzbek village life – views of women and men with traditional hair and clothing styles and Islamic customs are a unique sight to behold, and the symbols of foreign power are just as ill-suited to this environment as they were in Estonia.

Hille Hanso