Asa, a young Russian sailor, returns to his home in Kazakhstan, ready to start a life on the land. However, he needs a wife to be able to achieve this, so he sets out to woo Tulpan from a nearby region. This proves to be a tougher task than he expected, as he battles with his beautiful sister, her niggling husband, their four children (including a continuous singer), a Boney M and porn loving friend, and the reluctance of Tulpan herself (and her family who claim that his ears are too big!).

Tulpan was a big hit last year on the festival circuit, and it's easy to see why, as it is one of those films that appeals to both the art-house film lovers as well as the more conventional film enthusiasts. It has beautiful cinematography, a warm heart that tells the most conventional of unrequited love stories, and a sense of humour that everyone would get (the scene with the mother camel chasing the motorbike through the desert is great, and a little heart-breaking at the same time). We never get to see the title character, but the rest of the cast (who are mostly professional actors from the cities of Kazakhstan) make the scenes both tender and cutting when it is needed (the scene with the live birth of a lamb even adds some suspense to the whole shebang).

Forget the Kazakhstan from Borat ((ndash)) come and experience the real thing. You won't regret it.

At a family birthday gathering, Helene starts to discuss what her wishes are for her possessions after she has died. Her two sons, daughter and two daughters-in-law have varying responses to these discussions, as they are all at different stages, viewpoints and global locations in their lives but, as they soon have to wrangle with the actualities of the situation, they are forced to face realities.

If you have a fondness for amiable French films that intelligently probe an issue from a middle-class perspective, then chances are you will like this film. The exploration of memories, secrets and forgotten stories meanders through the film, and many scenes enable you to slowly reflect on the situations presented. While the presence of acting luminaries like Juliette Binoche, who is both talented and easy on the eyes (does she ever age? There's just something about French women) makes it even better.

Me? I was a little bored by this film, as it ambled along a little too slowly for me with an unsatisfactory resolution at the end. But then I have felt the same way about most of the French films I have seen this year (with the exception of JVCD), so don't let me discourage you from coming along to see it. (Besides, there's always Juliette.....)