Tussen hemel en aarde

When Achat and Tursun Ali were seven and saw a tightrope walker perform for the first time, they lost their hearts to the circus. Together, they became his apprentices and each started his own family circus. The film extensively shows what binds them: the awe-inspiring exertions with weights, the blood-curdling tightrope walks, the slithery grappling and the fascinated, joyful looks of the spectators. The soundtrack enhances the idyllic atmosphere. But there is a sharp edge to it, too; during their extravaganzas, the artists risk everything. Due to the turbulent political situation their country Uzbekistan has been in for some time now, the friendship between the two patresfamilias is under pressure. After a dramatic event, Tursun Ali decides to renounce politics. Achat stays the course, even after a two-year prison sentence and a case of arson in his house.