The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival runs in person in Bucheon, South Korea from June 29 to July 9. The Boston Hassle’s Joshua Polanski interviewed director Batdelger Byambasuren and producer Tsogobayar Namsrai on their film Disorder as part of his multi-outlet coverage of the festival. Be sure to check out his website for updates on additional coverage.
Disorder was the most politically charged film I saw at this year’s BIFAN. Byambasuren’s film takes place at an ornate “night school” in Mongolia, where all studying happens at night because that’s when predators hunt their prey, and according to the school’s director, the students must become predators. Byambasuren’s film is a scathing indictment of both the Mongolian education system and authoritarian control, where anyone with authority is to be questioned and anyone underneath the power of the authorities is an ally. The bugs of capitalism have overrun society, and without the resources of capital, darkness—both literal and metaphorical—will prove overwhelming.
The following interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Namsrai, going back and forth between Mongolian and English, translated the interview in real-time.
BOSTON HASSLE: When did you first fall in love with movies? Was there one film or one director that you look to for your love for cinema?
BATDELGER BYAMBASUREN: The first movie I saw was a Mongolian movie called Flood. The movie’s acting—the whole cast—really inspired me to love movies. And I grew up in an artistic family, so I was always involved in art, in entertainment, so somehow I ended up getting involved in movies.
TSOGOBAYAR NAMSRAI: My mom was director of the Mongolian national broadcast, so I was exposed to film and television [very early]. I would go to my mom’s studio while they were recording and just watch a movie every day.
I used to play with clay to make movies. Whenever I’d watch movies, I’d go back home and make the character with the clay and act out scenes, especially with martial arts and action movies.
BH: I was fascinated by how smart the students had to be to pull off their cheating scheme. There’s something ironic there: to cheat on the school test, you have to be really smart already. Can you tell me a little bit about the school system in Mongolia and perhaps why you chose to critique it in this way?
BB: It’s not just about the school system; it’s about all of society. I tried to criticize what is going on, and what is the problem, especially with school systems trying to make money off of innocents and the health care system. Mongolian society nowadays is not for people anymore; it’s all about making money and making riches.
BH: What was the hardest scene for you to film?
BB: The entire movie was shot during the night. We would prepare during the day, so everyone was always sleep deprived. The whole shoot was during the nighttime. The other hard part was the memory of Enerel (Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba) in the fire scene. It was in a room without any ventilation or good draft, so we had to put the smoke up and then after the scene, we would have to clear it [manually] otherwise everybody would cough.
BH: Where was it filmed?
TN: It was shot in three different locations. One was a children’s palace, where any activity related to children would take place. It has old Soviet architecture. This is where the exams happened. All of the marble on the walls are handpainted, made to look like it’s not out of place. All of the corridors, stairways, and secret meeting places were shot in the Mongolian National Film Council film factory. The torture scenes were shot in a car washing garage.
BH: Were there any films that you looked to for inspiration in particular on this project?
BB: Not a particular movie that inspired me but rather a play: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In the play, there are two young people who fall in love madly, and then, for their love, they were willing to do anything—even cheat death.
The other thing is that a lot of universities in Mongolia just accept money and graduate students with diplomas. And students only want the diploma and not the education because they can use the diploma to get a job or position in the government. [This also inspired me.]
TN: When the movie just came to us, it was just an idea of a night school. Then, during our discussions, it also became a mental hospital. Then, we went back and forth with writing [but] I didn’t put my name in the writing credits. [The idea of] predators only hunting at night was my idea. And then the cheating was also my idea: using the Mongolian national music instrument and then music and numbers for the cheating.
BH: Your film has little hints throughout it that there is something more going on in this night school than first meets the eye. In particular, you use strange camera angles—one I remember starting upside down, another on the ceiling, which, at least to me, suggested that something was off. Can you tell me a bit more about how you decided on the look of the film and your cinematography style?
BB: We tried to give as much of a hint as possible without giving it away. [For example,] when the janitors said “I wish we could get rid of all of the rats.” But then [the other janitor] said even “Even if we get rid of them, more would come and replace them anyway.”
And with the camera angles, you are right. We tried to make it look like something was off. When the director makes a presentation about the school, we deliberately shine the projector right to his face to show that something is wrong with this man.
BH: There are several animals in the film and the way people treat them tells us a lot about the people. Where did this come from, and are you an animal lover?
BB: I am an animal lover—I have a lot of pets. But that’s not why I included them in the movie. Rats and bugs are at the bottom of society, so it’s mostly because their attitude toward the kids is similar to how they would treat bugs and rats.
BH: The movie is pessimistic in that the cycles of abuse will continue, and this is enabled somewhat through the suppression of memory. I’m very ignorant of Mongolian culture, but I was wondering if there was anything in particular that inspired this or if you’re thinking more about the general cycles of totalitarian governments because this movie is also very skeptical of authorities?
BB: You’re right. Not just in Mongolia but everywhere, choosing the wrong leader can only bring darkness. Where is the light and where is the sun? Choosing the right leader can bring the light—that’s what we are trying to say.
Basically, the entire idea is: where does the healthy or sane society exist? Is it outside or is it in the mental institution? If you remember at the end, the boy said “everything is crazy outside,” which refers to all of the wars, hatred, violence, prejudice, human trafficking going on around the world. When is the light going to shine upon them? Which is the crazy society?
BH: I’m guessing the majority of the Boston Hassle’s audience has never seen a Mongolian film before. Can you recommend another movie from Mongolia for our audience?
TN: I’m not sure they will have ever met a Mongolian or can even find it on a map! [Laughing] For me, it would be the movies available on Amazon Prime. We have a lot of films available through Mongol Films Distribution on Prime, Tubi, and Hoopla. I would recommend Legend of Gobi or The Ten Soldiers of Ghangis Khan. There’s a new movie called Life that came out during the pandemic; it’s a really good movie but it missed it’s chance for recognition at the festivals.
BB: The movies I would recommend would be much-much older titles and I’m not sure you can find them, especially Flood that I mentioned and the comedy Just Before Getting My Groove. Another one is called I’m Moving to You. Those are black-and-white dramas.
You can also look up my new movie and wait for it.
BH: What’s next?
BB: Right now I have two projects. I’m making a low-budget, easygoing movie—nothing serious. It doesn’t have a name yet, but it’s a coming-of-age film or young people’s romance. The other one, Not Alone, is a one-character movie, [which is] probably the first for Mongolia. Another one, which is just an idea, is an epic warrior movie about nine female warriors.
