Burning, from Kyrgyzstan

Is it a “jinn,” or is it Kyrgyz society? Even if it is the former, the superstition and sexism Kyrgyz women like Asel face can make anything worse. The question remains, what plagues Asel? The answers vary depending on her neighbors’ perspective in Radik Eshimov’s Burning, which is now streaming on IndiePix.

Tragedy has befallen Asel and her husband Marat, so their neighbors are doing what they do best: gossiping in the Kyrgyz equivalent of the local bodega. Everyone knew there was trouble in the family, even before fire erupted in their home. They agree things had been tense for a while, but matters really came to a head when Marat’s mother Farida arrived. However, they disagree whether Farida was an instigator or an agent of moderation.

Screenwriters Aizada Amangeldy and Dastan Madalbekov use a Rashomon-style device to retell the family’ descent into madness through three very different competing narratives. However, their Rashomon is not so very Rashomon-like. The film only consists of three half-hour versions of Asel and Marat’s “truth.” Somewhat naggingly, each “storyteller” also prompts untrustworthy flashbacks of events they could not have possibly witnessed firsthand.

Nevertheless, Eshimov nicely shifts the audience’s understanding of Asel and Marat over the course of the film. Aysanat Edigeeva and Kalicha Seydalieva both contribute extraordinary mirror image performances as the good and bad Asel and Farida. They also share one scene (realized two ways) that is amazingly disgusting and largely vindicates Burning’s billing as a horror film.

Indeed, aside from the aforementioned sequence, Eshimov resists serving up the kind of red meat horror fans crave. It is better described as moody rather than scary. The provincial Kyrgyzstan setting adds further layers of uncertainty and a generally unsettling vibe, which sets it apart from other is-she-or-isn’t-she possession movies.

Burning is a serious-minded film that shines an unflattering light on the misogyny of Asel’s busybody neighborhood. There is a lot of biting commentary buried under the tripart structure and the folkloric trappings. However, it is relatively tame compared to most possession or folk horror releases. Recommended for viewers intrigued by the Central Asian setting, Burning currently streams on IndiePix.