Close to Eden

1991 · 2h00 · Film

Directed by Nikita Mikhalkov

Starring Badema, Bayaertu, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Baoyinhexige, Bao Yungyan, Wurinile, Babouchka, Biao Wang, Bao Jinsheng, Nikolay Vashchilin

Ideal when you feel… Sad / low

A farmer and his wife live in a rural part of Inner Mongolia with their three children. Chinese population control policies prevent them from having any more. The farmer sets out for the nearest town to obtain birth control. He comes upon a Russian truck driver who has ended up in a lake. The farmer takes the man back to his farm, and after initially being appalled, the Russian becomes enchanted with the peaceful life of the countryside and decides to stay. But his presence presages big changes for the peasants.

Updated August 14, 2026

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