Adopting as a plot a seemingly anecdotal story about a shepherd from the Mongolian steppe going to a city to buy condoms, because the law forbade him to have more than three children, the director succeeded in creating a work of art of the highest standard, rich with genuine kindness, humanity and compassion, preaching tolerance and cross-cultural understanding, though not once sounding bombastic. --- Netronutyj civilizaciej, skrytyj ot chelovechestva ugolok mira. Strana stepej, beskonechnoe raznotrav"e, v kotorom tonut stoletiya. Mir, v kotorom net ni vypuskov novostej, ni sosedej, - net vremeni. Slovno na svoej sobstvennoj planete, zdes" zhivet sem"ya. Mongol Gombo, ego zhena i deti - glavnaya chast" svoego mira, gde pischa dobyvaetsya svoimi rukami, dom-yurta peremeschaetsya s mesta na mesto, kogda e"togo trebuyut vremena goda, i zhizn" lyudej techet v garmonii s prirodoj. Odnazhdy Gombo sobiraetsya v puteshestvie v gorod: zakon zapreschaet emu zavodit" novyh detej, a v dome konchilis" prezervativy. Odnovremenno razmerennost" zhizni v dome narushayut gosti: snachala priezzhaet rodstvennik, a vskore poyavlyaetsya rabotayuschij v e"tih mestah po kontraktu Sergej, u kotorogo slomalsya gruzovik. I oba vskore chuvstvuyut, chto oni okazalis" gde-to sovsem ryadom s raem. Gde pochuvstvuesh" sebya tak legko so vchera esche neznakomymi lyud"mi? Razve mozhet zhizn" gde-nibud" esche byt" takoj prekrasnoj? --- Awards:1991 - VENICE FILM FESTIVAL - Golden Lion1992 - NIKA Winner in the category Best Director, Nikita Mikhalkov1992 - KINOTAVR - Top Prize on the results of rating - Prize of the President"s Council1993 - FELIX - Best Film --- Special features:* Interview with composer E. Artemyev* Documentary "Culture and Traditions of the Mongols"* Filmographies* Photo album