To Kill a Mongolian Horse

• Xiaoxuan Jiang
• 98 min
• Malaysia, United States, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Thailand
• 2024
• Fiction

The Mongolian steppe sparkles in this beautifully subtle and existential drama, where Saina is torn between the roles of shepherd, father, and horseback performer.
When Saina’s father, deeply in debt from gambling, gradually sells off his sheep to pay his dues, Saina wrestles with what it means to be a shepherd without livestock. Conflict follows conflict in this tender portrayal of a father-son relationship, city and countryside, and the right to preserve indigenous cultural expressions. At the same time, Saina’s ex-wife is forced to serenade Chinese tourists at extravagant dinner parties, while Saina, raised on a horseback, performs in spectacular horse shows. From the situation grows a pervasive sense of despondency and an awareness of injustice, expressed in grand and colorful scenes, continuously contrasted with a crisp winter landscape.


- Hannah Klasson

• Djur
• Drama
• Identitet
• Stad
• Landsbygd
• Samhälle