AFI FEST film review: 'Should the Wind Drop'

The hope of an ignored region in a forgotten part of the world hinges on one man and one airport in the French-Armenian drama 'Should the Wind Drop' (screening during AFI FEST 2020).

In short: French engineer Alain travels to an isolated Eastern European region inaccessible by air travel. He must decide whether the airport, located in the center of conflict, is safe to reopen.

This, lets say, "patiently" paced drama combines the drama of rural travel with the excitement of watching a bureaucrat go down a safety checklist. Oh, and there's a boy walking around town, selling water to townsfolk.

While the plot is focused on the airport, the film finds a war-torn region populated by Armenians living in a disputed land. Despite violence that has spanned generations, the Nagorno-Karabakh people are trying to rebuild and rejoin the world. Fundamentally, 'Wind' is an eye-opening, geopolitical drama of a people still dealing with the echoes of the Soviet Union and the Armenian Genocide. Unfortunately for this film, much of that intriguing subtext is resigned to the film's background.

The frustrating aspect of 'Wind' is the film is essentially a true story: the Stepanakert Airport (where the film was shot) is a fully constructed airport ready to accept incoming international flights -- were it not for the fact that neighboring nations have threatened to shoot down flights. The Nagorno-Karabakh region is a disputed region living amid a tenuous ceasefire. So the airport remains at the ready, but dormant. 'Wind' simply crafts a narrative around the reality of the airport.

Sadly, 'Wind' doesn't do anything that a documentary couldn't do better - and the film's story is so meager that it doesn't justify the full-length feature film treatment. 'Wind' is a bit too comfortable with its excessive negative space. This amount of atmospheric padding is generally used for moody genre films ... but it doesn't help to add texture to 'Wind.' The isolation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region is a story that deserves more attention - and 'Wind' teases the story of a people determined to retain their autonomy in the world. Despite the film's important socio-political underpinnings, 'Wind' is simply impossible to recommend as anything other than a missed opportunity that's best asset is making the plight of Nagorno-Karabakh known to the world.

Final verdict: This French-Armenian drama is instilled with quiet hope, but 'Should the Wind Drop' is so methodically paced that it practically dares an audience to nod off..

Score: 2.5/5

'Should the Wind Drop' screens at AFI FEST. This French-Armenian drama is unrated and has a runtime of 100 minutes.