A DECENT FACTORY
England, Finland, France 2004 | 79 Min. | BetaSP, OmeU
In Kyrgyzstan, it is not unusual for a girl to go to school carefree in the morning, but to end up a bride in a family of strangers by nightfall. It is no use to put up a struggle. Young Kairgul is calmly waiting for the school bus. She does not suspect that the man hanging out on the curb has evil intentions, but the next moment, he pushes her into a passing car and kidnaps her to become his bride. ”I don’t want to be late for school,” she shouts. ”Your classes are over,” he responds. In Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, men abduct a bride if they are not rich enough to pay a dowry. The kidnapping is often discussed beforehand in the potential groom’s family. After the abduction, the new in-laws inform the girl’s parents, who often accept the ”proposal.” Kidnapping a bride is the usual state of affairs. ”We have all been abducted,” women tell a freshly kidnapped girl who reluctantly stands in a corner. Director Petr Lom follows the dramatic stories of non-consensual kidnappings. This documentary is the first to ever document the custom.