Close to Eden (1991) - Nikita Mikhalkov

Only the second film of Mikhalkov's I've seen, and I can't say it's very similar. The story is basically a tale of modernization for peasant Mongolians, or rather one particular family. There are some funny moments in the film (usually provided by the Russian), and there are several moments were reality is thrown out the window. The best example comes from a strange sort of dream sequence where Ghengis Kahn is roaming the countryside, yet our peasant hero is still in modern times (or at least what was modern 15 years ago.) These sequences keep the film from being utter garbage, but the overall impression of the film is not a very great one. Perhaps with more understanding of it's director I'll see more of this, but for now I'll say it wasn't a complete waste of time.