37 Uses of a Dead Sheep

Ben Hopkins' film 37 Uses of a Dead Sheep is not what it sounds like.

While a sub-interview of the film does actually discuss these uses, it documents a story far more captivating and engaging than that of a dead sheep.

It follows the lifeline of the Pamir Kirghiz, a once-nomadic tribe forced to leave their homeland in the central Asian Pamir mountains to escape the communist regimes of Russia and China. Through the leadership of Haji Rahman Qui, the tribes last Khan, they struggle through blistering climates and battles to their final settlement in East Turkey.

The film is unique in its reflexivity, as it was common to catch glimpses of the camera crews and sound technicians. It was also reflexive in that one of the main points of the story was to recreate scenes of their past by creating silent films using the current people of the tribe as actors. The creation of this living history is documented as well within the film, as members of the tribe often spoke their mind and gave insight to certain scenes.

What intruiged me the most about the dynamics of this tribe was how communal and giving they were to each other and the travelers who passed through the Pamir on the silk route. In my mind, that's what I envision as communism at its best. However, they were constantly running from the communist regimes of Soviet Russia and China. They were self-sustainable tribe who lived off the land and their animals, as noted by the final interview of discussing how much can be done with just one dead sheep.

The final segment of the film was very intruiging as it discussed the future of the tribe, which was assimilating to modern culture at an alarming rate because of the new generation not upholding the ancient traditions. Most of the tribe has grown accustomed to skilled labor in Istanbul, leaving the agriculture and livestock behind. The growth can be seen as positive, as a female Pamir has risen to a high position in Nursing and wants to be the best in her field. This ambition and opportunity was never available thirty years previously.

I love seeing films like this. They make you realize the differences in the billions of us, and that there are other ways and walks of life that deserve and need to be appreciated and understood. It puts your own life into perspective, and may possibly question it, because you start to really think about how easy it is to live in a priviledged society.

37 Uses of a Dead Sheep