Shuga (Chouga)

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Release date: Jul 2, 2007

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Movie Info

Renowned writer/director Darezhan Omirbaev (KILLER, CARDIOGRAM) brings his supremely minimalist eye to this modern adaptation of ANNA KARENINA. Set in Kazakhstan, the film follows the somber journey of the beautiful Chouga (Ainur Turgambayeva), who travels southward from Astana to Almaty for family business. There she finds herself targeted by the wealthy Tiburon, who has lost out on his chance at love with another beautiful young woman. The trouble for Chouga is that she's married, and has a child, but she finds herself drawn to Tiburon. Soon, an affair begins, and she leaves her family and moves in with her lover--until that relationship finds Chouga despondent and unhappy as well.With CHOUGA, Omirbaev has taken the art of understatement to a new level. The performances are delivered with a supremely monotone bent, casting a truly hypnotic spell. Combined with the bizarre, wintry landscape decorated with holiday lights, CHOUGA feels strangely futuristic. Omirbaev adds artistry in the form of long takes and symbolism with objects, giving viewers much to absorb.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Art House & International, Drama
Directed By:

Darezhan Omirbayev
Written By:

Darezhan Omirbayev
In Theaters:

Jul 2, 2007 wide
Runtime:

85 minutes
Studio:

Paris-Barcelone Films

Cast

Aidos Sagatov

Alnur Turgambayeva

Ainur Turgambayeva

Ainur Sapargali

Critic Reviews for Shuga (Chouga)

All Critics (4) | Fresh (3) | Rotten (1)

An adaptation of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina transposed to contemporary Kazakhstan, Chouga is a masterful distillation of the great novel's characterizations and themes.

August 23, 2017 | Full Review…

Eric Hynes
Stop Smiling
Top Critic
Ramps down Tolstoy's soap-opera grandiosity, while still managing to elevate the banalities of a high-society dalliance to the level of a cosmic psychodrama

August 8, 2009 | Full Review…

Leo Goldsmith
Reverse Shot
Top Critic
Chouga never loses control%u2014a performance Lana Turner would be proud of.

July 31, 2009 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com
Top Critic
Perhaps no director since Hitchcock has been quite this obsessed with glimpses and gazes.

October 9, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

David Phelps
Slant Magazine
Top Critic