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Shiza  (2004)
 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0406216/

Shiza [Kazakhstan (original title)]
Schizo [Canada (festival title) (English title) / France / Greece (festival title)]
Fifty-Fifty [International (English title) / UK (informal English title)]
O mikros Schizo [Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)]
Skiso [Estonia]
The Recruiter [USA (DVD title)]

Russian language English Portuguese Spanish and Turkish subtitles.

Shiza a.k.a. Schizo is a 2004 Russian language film directed by Gulshat Omarova. The film was in the official selection from Kazakhstan for the 77th Academy Awards. It was also screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

  Oldzhas Nusupbayev  ...  Shiza  
  Olga Landina  ...  Zinka  
  Eduard Tabishev  ...  Sakura  
  Viktor Sukhorukov  ...  Doctor  
  Gulnara Yeraliyeva  ...  Kulyash  
  Hurtaj Kanagat  ...  Sandzhik  
  Khorabek Musabayev  ...  Almaz  
  Bakhytbek Bajmukhanbetov  ...  Dzhaken  
  Mukhit Izimov  ...  Nurlan  
  Gajratdzhan Tokhgibakiyev  ...  Uzbek  
  Emine Ismailova  ...  Ballet dancer  
  Dzhasulan Makhanov  ...  Almaz's bodyguard  

Tagline: In fights without rules, there is no rule that says: "Until first blood!" 

Fifteen-year-old Mustafa (Olzhas Nusupbayev) — nicknamed "Shiza" for his weird behaviour in school — has no money, power or a girlfriend in his young life. Working for his mothers boyfriend, Shiza scouts for fighters for the illegal, underground circuit of bare-knuckle fist-fighting.

However, his life changes forever when a young fighter is accidentally and mortally wounded in the ring. Before dying, the fighter asks Shiza to deliver his prize money to his wife Zinka (Olga Landina). Shiza takes the money to the now-widowed woman as promised. Upon meeting, Shiza falls in love with her. Suddenly, he finds direction as he is compelled to support and protect his new love no matter what the cost.

A flat, arid country littered with ramshackle dwellings and hollow husks of decrepit machinery, Schizo's harsh, unforgiving Kazakhstan is a natural setting for brutal bare-knuckle boxing matches, and cinematographer Khasan Kydyraliyev brings his cruel locations to life with a mixture of beautifully incongruous long shots (in which characters are dwarfed by their vast surroundings) and urgent hand-held close-ups. Populated with mostly non-professional actors whose guilelessness contributes to the film's coarse aesthetic, Omarova's film exudes a bleak realism even as it increasingly evokes Hollywood crime pictures (including double-crosses, daylight robberies, and murder), cute May-December romances (highlighted by Schizo's grope-heavy dance with Zinka), and, with its jarring finale, storybook optimism that, ironically, also serves as a fitting conclusion for such an emotionally and structurally schizophrenic film.

It is impossible not to sympathize with Schizo, a quiet boy who conveys his innocence through his delightful smile. It seems as if he is simply following his fate, which brings him both personal tragedy and rebirth. Although the film avoids melodrama, it presents a morality tale reminiscent of a Greek tragedy. First time director Guka Omarova sets the stage with stunning cinematography that uses the natural scenery to reveal Schizos character – he is a small figure against a stark backdrop of golden fields and a vast lake. There is a beauty in the landscape, but it is a harsh world where a life of crime appears to be the only way to survive. The films subject matter is one weve seen before, but because the film does not promise more than it can deliver, we can forgive the uncomplicated characters and simple story line and appreciate the truthful performances and beautiful cinematography.