2003, Germany/Mongolia
Comedy, Drama, Family
What do you do when a camel rejects her newborn colt? Get the violinist, of course. Or at least, that is what has always been done in southern Mongolia. A wailing baby camel may be one of the most plaintive sounds in the world, and it is understandable why a ritual has been created to stop its suffering.
Native Mongolian director Byambasuren Davaa helps to present a look at her much diminishing homeland. The story focuses on a family that has taken in some modern conveniences, but has not yet given way to its distant neighbors' preferences for motorcycles and televisions. What is remarkable about this vision of nomadic shepherds in the Gobi Desert is how easy it is to identify with them, even though their culture is strikingly different from Western society. There are true emotional connections that need no explanation; if there were no subtitles, the messages would still be clear.
Italian cinematographer Luigi Falorni allowed the story to unfold before him, but created lovely framing for the beautiful expanse of the desert and the bright fabrics of their customs. (Surprisingly, his involvement went towards his film school graduation, so there is certainly more great film to come from him in the future.) Though the filmmakers wanted to include a camel ritual, they let fate decide which one would occur. In this respect the film is almost more of a documentary than drama, but the fact that they did control a few situations makes that distinction.
The family is very endearing and always in good spirits, despite tough storms and some uncooperative animals. Only immediate relatives live in the surrounding yurts, and it is fantastic to be able to view their everyday lives and to see the wisdom and knowledge of many generations being put to work. This is a beautiful story, not only of these shepherds' relationships with one another, but also of their connection to the animals for which they care.
The only DVD extras are a photo gallery and New Line trailers. It would have been nice to hear from the directors and perhaps have interviews with the cast, but the film is so lovely that this is not necessary.