Mohydeen Quandour's CHERKESS offers a rare chance to see a new film from Jordan

At the beginning of the 20th Century -- or so TrustMovies learned from watching CHERKESS, the new historical, love-and-rationality story from writer/
director Mohydeen Quandour -- groups of minority Circassians (the Cherkess of the title) were relocated from Imperial Russia to those Ottoman territories populated already by Bedouins. These territories eventually became what we now know as the country of Jordan, and so we're getting a little history, in addition to the love and culture-clash that comes from this Romeo & Juliet-ish tale leavened by a couple of old-timers, both of whom try to head off tragedy, and one of whom possesses pretty extraordinary diplomatic skills.

Mr. Quandour, shown at left, tells a relatively simple, at times simplistic, story that involves love at first sight and a pair of lovers -- he's handsome, heroic, and quite the dashing horseman, while she's simply smitten and beautiful in the earthy manner of a young Claudia Cardinale -- intent on being together one way or another. While the older genera-tion strives for accommo-dation on both sides, the younger generation, particularly the head Bedouin's son, resents these interlopers and vows to get rid of them by any means necessary.

Incidents happen (as above) on one side and then the other, and anger escalates until...  What? You've already seen this story a few (hundred) times? Yes, but I wager you won't quite have seen it this way -- with the mores, the costumes, and the ceremonies of these two cultures brought to the fore so colorfully with occasional humor and an acting style, as demonstrated particularly by a couple of the women, that harks back to the days of eye-rolling silent films.

Once the two young lovers Nart and Hind (played, respectively by newcomers Azamat Bekov, above, left, and Sahar Bishara, right) take matters into their own hands, it seems that tragedy cannot be averted, and probably the most interesting part of this nearly two-hour movie is its final half hour, in which the older generation takes over, using rationality, kindness and a genuine appreciation for the traditions of others to find a way out of the dilemma. The Cherkess character Temur, shown below, left, and played with a quiet sense of unflagging wisdom by Mohadeen Kohmakov, proves the heart and soul of this slow-paced but interesting film.

Cherkess, distributed by Sindika Productions, opens this Friday, November 4, in New York City at the Quad Cinema. More playdates do not appear to be in the offing just now, so go ahead, New Yorkers: Be brave film-goers -- and the first on your block to see a Jordanian movie!

Update: we've just heard from the film's director (see Comments below) that his film will now go into distribution in America through New World Distribution, to be screened in most major cities throughout the USA, after which it will also become available in other media (DVDs, downloads etc.) soon after the theatrical distribution.