This striking film from Tajikistan takes wing from an Islamic fable which posits that all people have an angel on their left shoulder taking account of bad deeds and another on the right tallying the good.
Tough guy Hamro returns to his wintering home village to care for his sick mother after a decade in Moscow, planning to sell her house and settle his outstanding problems.
But life's not so easily ordered and he has to contend with local gangsters and a son from a forgotten relationship while weighing up how he wants to use the rest of his life.
The film's unfussy, documentary style is a major strength, rendering the lives of its characters starkly believable as they face life with a combination of resignation, simple optimism and grim humour.
Tough guy Hamro returns to his wintering home village to care for his sick mother after a decade in Moscow, planning to sell her house and settle his outstanding problems.
But life's not so easily ordered and he has to contend with local gangsters and a son from a forgotten relationship while weighing up how he wants to use the rest of his life.
The film's unfussy, documentary style is a major strength, rendering the lives of its characters starkly believable as they face life with a combination of resignation, simple optimism and grim humour.