THE CAVE OF THE YELLOW DOG (2005)
January 9th 2009 08:11
Category: No Category
The Batchuluun family, happy to share their life on the Mongolian pastures
The plot however, is just a layer above an underlying theme of nostalgic longing for a way of life at the brink of extinction. Plastic utensils and toys seem incompatible with this environment and its values, yet capitalism is bound to invade and ultimately conquer it. Because of the family’s happiness their constant struggle to makes ends meet remains hidden in the background, but many other villagers have already left the region and the Batchuluuns are also considering moving to the city. An election truck crossing the steppe to coax people to vote appears to have incongruously materialized from another dimension, rendering the existence of the nomad paradise almost absurd in the contemporary world. There is not one false or staged note throughout this film, which leaves you wishing you could beam yourself to Mongolia to experience it before it disappears like an implausible fata morgana.
Review by Patricia Bieszk
© Copyright P. Bieszk 2006
First published in The Pundit, July-August 2006, p. 13.
| 38 |
| Vote |
