Pugalo

A female healer lives in the vast, snowy expanse of the Sakha Republic in Russia. She is ostracised by the local population, but when push comes to shove they avail themselves of her supernatural powers. Sakha director Dmitry Davydov, a rising star internationally, has built an intriguing drama with horror genre elements on the basis of this icy story about a social outcast. Scarecrow is one of the strongest, recent examples of the flourishing Sakha cinema, where local makers stray beyond the confines of Russian cinema, creating their own cinematic identity. Like many other Sakha makers, Davydov is a self-taught director who combines serious drama with genre elements, Sakha folklore and landscapes. This results in a lasting, moving effect: the disturbing scene, shot in one long take, in which the troubled lead takes great gulps from a vodka bottle whilst crying, haunts audiences for quite some time. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)