In a Southern City

Synopsis

It is adapted from the long story “9th Khrebtov” by Azerbaijan’s famous scriptwriter and playwright Rustam Ibrahimbeyov (“Khrebtov” in Russian means ‘belonging to a mountain range’ or ‘related to the spine’). While turning the work into a screenplay, some changes were made in accordance with Soviet censorship and the demands of the period. The events of the film take place in the 1960s in one of Baku’s neighborhoods (where 9th Khrebtov Street used to be). The central focus of the story is the lives of the people living there, the decayed traditions, and the conflict between patriarchal ways of thinking and modern life. Murat is a young man with modern thoughts working in an oil mine. However, his sister Solmaz eloping with another man becomes a major matter of honor in the neighborhood. The “elders” and prominent figures of the neighborhood pressure Murat, demanding that he kill the young man who eloped with his sister to restore the family’s honor.

Trailer