The title character in Chingiz Aitmatov’s novel “Djamilia” becomes the pretext for a series of interviews with several Kyrgyz women, sparking discussions on freedom, on the power to make choices and on marriage. Among shots that depict the lyricism of everyday life, it slowly becomes less and less clear where the women are no longer speaking about the fictional character, but rather begin to tell their own stories, to analyse the limits of their own freedom. Are the arranged marriages they talk of Djamilia’s or their own? Aminatou Echard is able to imbed a sublime candour in the portraits of these women — whether they are emancipated or still intensely conservative, of various ages and origins — and gives them an unmediated voice. At the same time, the Super 8 mm format endows the documentary with an atmosphere of anonymity and intimacy — as that of a confessional —, but no matter how vintage the film effect might seem, the problems and aspirations of Kyrgyz women register as strongly relevant to the present.  (Teodora Leu)