The 2004 reopening of the Silk Road between China and Tajikistan signaled an economic boom for the poorest of the former Soviet states. One treacherous trucking route through the mountainous border region becomes a literal lifeline, allowing some citizens to move from abject poverty to a potential middle class. When local entrepreneur Davlat was born, his family barely navigated these roads with small cars in a single lane. Banking on a brighter future, Davlat borrows heavily to buy two transport rigs and deliver new Chinese goods. But what happens when modern capitalism arrives in his barely Industrial Age life? Trade between one small cog and a global superpower threatens to overwhelm his marriage, family and dreams in unexpected ways. Striking cinematography of a seldom-seen region elegantly contrasts with the quietly observed interior world of a modern labourer who discovers a new geopolitical reality. Myrocia Watamaniuk

The Changing Face of Europe program presented in partnership with