In this lesbian Lawrence of Arabia, director-writer Ulrike Ottinger has created an enthno­graphic farce which crisscrosses Europe, Asia, and time itself. An unusual group of interna­tional passengers meet on the Trans-Siberian Railway, including the sophisticated Lady Windemere (Delphine Seyrig, in a mesmeriz­ing performance); a spectacularly-dressed singing trio, the Klinka sisters; a famous Yiddish theater actor; and a Russian officer, and his young "attache." And for the first half of the film, we're treated to an astonishing blend of music, food, and conversation.

But when the ladies transfer to a Trans­ Mongolian train and are abducted by a troop of wild Mongolian women, the film's tone changes dramatically. Amid the sweeping grasslands of Inner Mongolia, populated by camels, wild horses, Buddhist priests, shamans and princesses, the women witness a series of powerful and life-changing rituals. Rarely screened and enormously beautiful, this film is one cross-cultural encounter you won't easily forget.