Asan’s family moves to a quiet rural village, where children play by lighting a fire under a rock and roasting bird eggs using twigs and snack on them. Asan soon befriends the village children Dastan and Bayel. Bayel, who lives with an abusive father, develops feelings for Asan’s older sister; Dastan’s mother who is working in a city is about to remarry; and while Asan’s father seems attentive, his drinking habits plague his family. Humdrum days pass by, but to the three teenage friends who have just entered adolescence their days are full of life-altering events. The third feature film by Aibek Daiyrbekov, The Scent of Wormwood catches the eye with particularly outstanding visuals and captures the undulating waves of the boys’ emotions—the rapture of a crush, the sense of loss at having to separate with beloved mother, and reconciliation with father—in a thoughtful manner without exaggeration. (PARK Sun Young)