If Only I Could Hibernate

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If Only I Could Hibernate

2023

1h 39m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

100%

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14 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A poor but prideful teenager, Ulzii, lives in the yurt area of Ulaanbaatar with his family. He is a physics genius and is determined to win a science competition to earn a scholarship. When his mother finds a job in the countryside, she leaves him and his younger siblings to face a harsh winter by themselves. Ulzii will have to take a risky job to look after them all and keep his home heated.

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Brings an earthy, lived-in authenticity to a premise that, in other hands, could feel like a piece of ethnographic voyeurism.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 21, 2024

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Perhaps the film could have given us a clearer view of the teacher’s inner life and past, but this is still an interestingly downbeat, shrewd drama.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 17, 2024

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Hamza Shehryar

Little White Lies

A formidable debut that captures the indomitability of the human spirit amid even the most challenging circumstances.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 17, 2024

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

Zoljargal Purevdash’s sweet, heartbreaking and hopeful feature film debut...never bogs down in bleakness, yet feels wholly authentic. This is one of those gems from a country most people never give a second thought to and deserves consideration.

Rated: B

Dec 19, 2024

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Hayley Croke

Loud and Clear Reviews

Zoljargal Purevdash’s hypnotizing debut feature film takes an unexpected yet deeply nuanced take on the coming-of-age trope with a character that is not slowly assimilating adulthood but rather harshly thrown into it.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 25, 2024

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Kevin Wight

The Wee Review

A handsome and sincere study of a burdened young man, although its protagonist can be unnecessarily infuriating.

Rated: 3

Sep 4, 2024

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Zoljargal Purevdash

Director

Tuguldur Batsaikhan

Erkhemee

Nominjiguur Tsend

Tungaa

Battsooj Uurtsaikh

Ulzii

Batmandakh Batchuluun

Garig

Batsaikhan Battulga

Sharka

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Final Set

86%

94%

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Gulmohar

91%

74%

Gulmohar

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North Star

28%

%

North Star

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Rustin

83%

82%

Rustin

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TRAILER

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Synopsis

A poor but prideful teenager, Ulzii, lives in the yurt area of Ulaanbaatar with his family. He is a physics genius and is determined to win a science competition to earn a scholarship. When his mother finds a job in the countryside, she leaves him and his younger siblings to face a harsh winter by themselves. Ulzii will have to take a risky job to look after them all and keep his home heated.

Director: Zoljargal Purevdash
Producer: Frédéric Corvez, Maéva Savinien, Zoljargal Purevdash
Screenwriter: Zoljargal Purevdash
Production Co: Amygdala Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Mongolian
Runtime: 1h 39m