In this era of "show me the money," we need more movies about the spiritual practices of hospitality and nurturing. A Mongolian Tale is such a film.
Nai-Nai is a loving and generous shepherd who lives in a tent on the steppes of Mongolia. Although her hard life is taxing, she takes in and nurtures Someyer, an orphaned granddaughter, and Beiyinpalica, a boy whose father can no longer care for him. The children grow up as brother and sister. By the time he's ready to go off to school in the city, Beiyinpalica promises to marry Someyer. However, when he returns three years later she is pregnant with another man's child. Beiyinpalica abandons her. Twelve years later, he returns as a famous troubadour. He reconnects with Someyer who is now married with five children.
These adults, both saddened by loss, tap into the spiritual practice of nurturing which Nai-Nai bequeathed to them. A Mongolian Tale is an emotionally affecting Chinese film directed by Fei Xie. It conveys not only the beauty of the Mongolian steppes but the moral beauty of opened hearts.