Bibi Seshanbe is a film that occurs at the intersection of dream, folklore, and ethnography. In frequent closeups of women’s hands at work, it weaves between the life of Bibi Seshanbe Ona, Central Asia’s version of Cinderella, and the women who, in hushed tones, appeal to her protection in ritual practices. Against a flat and hazy city backdrop, there is a velvety richness to the spaces where women gather. Every texture, from the glowing orange of a plastic milk pail to a sheet of sesame-crusted bread, beckons. For the followers of Bibi Seshanbe, her story offers solace, and hope for sumptuous if fleeting joy