Ashik Kerib

Parajanov’s final film is based on a verse by Russian romantic poet Mikhail Lermontov and tells the story of wandering minstrel Kerib, who falls in love with daughter of a merchant. The latter sends the young poet on a thousand-day journey to seek his fortune. Shot close to Baku (Azerbaijan), this multilingual medley of images in magnificent colors is akin to 1001 Nights: rich in ornaments, metaphors and symbols that are expressed in carefully composed visual compositions full of warmth and (self-)irony. (mg)