If Only I Could Hibernate (12A)

★★★✭  This perceptive and compassionate Mongolian drama of a poverty-stricken young academic abandoned by his mother makes for a intriguing debut. ~ Little White Lies.

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The first Mongolian film to ever play in the official selection at Festival de Cannes, in her first feature, Zoljargal Purevdash chronicles a family navigating poor living conditions.

Ulzii, a teenager from a poor neighbourhood in Ulaanbaatar, is determined to win a physics competition to get a scholarship. His illiterate mother finds a job in the countryside, leaving him and his younger brother and sister in the middle of winter.

Ulzii needs to find ways to keep their yurt warm and look after his siblings while preparing for the national competition.

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★★★★ There’s an earthy authenticity to Zoljargal Purevdash’s story of a gifted student from a poor family who faces tough choices in chilly Mongolia. ~ The Observer.