Film title
If Only I Could Hibernate
Synopsis
In many ways, Ulizii is an average teenager with all the usual drama and rebellion of hanging out with friends, winding up his siblings and desperately wanting a cool pair of sneakers. But in other ways, he is dealing with challenges far beyond his fourteen years. His struggling mum moves back to the countryside to find work, leaving him in charge of their yurt amidst the harsh Mongolian winter. A new teacher at school spots Ulizii’s brilliance in physics and encourages him to enter a competition that could win him a scholarship, but his chance to pursue a way out of poverty is jeopardized by his immediate circumstances, which are growing increasingly desperate. Ulizii has to choose whether to concentrate his efforts on schooling, or find means of keeping his young siblings warm and fed. With gentle humour and heartfelt drama, this remarkably accessible story explores masculinity, access to welfare and education and the impact of urbanisation.