08/01/06 The Story Of The Weeping Camel

The Story Of The Weeping Camel (2003), directed by Byambasuren Davaa & Luigi Falorni

watched w/ Leslie (partially); DVD rental (Netflix) @ home; suggested by Beatrix

Seeing that yesterday was my friend Jeff's birthday, and noting that both he & his girlfriend Beatrix (aka Ix) have been staunch supporters of my Movie Challenge over the year...I thought it only fitting to give back by finally getting to one of Beatrix's many movie suggestions. I wanted something that would be a special film, have international flare (since Jeff & Beatrix are very international people), and involve animals that spat at you. That narrowed it down to this beautifully crafted documentary about camels, and their nomadic Mongolian shepherding family. This is one of those films that places you into a world that is so foreign to anything you would ever encounter, and in simple strokes paints you a very vivid picture of what that world would be like. It's a beautifully touching and telling tale of family, nature, and the contrast of worlds both archaic and modernized. Centering around one loving family of three generations living under one roof in the Gobi Desert, who tend to herds of sheep and camels. Living far from the technological amenities of the modern world, this family relies heavily on each other to survive and provide the basic necessities of life. Showing the parents teaching the younger children of how to care for the animals, as well as instilling a work ethic into them is very poignant. What's more, the balance of nature is reflected in the familial settings of the camels that live with the humans. One female camel undergoes a very excruciating delivery of her new baby colt, causing the former to reject the advances of the latter as it tries to nurse. It becomes a heart-breaking thing to witness, as the family tries desperately to get the mother camel to accept the colt and nurture it...as you see juxtaposed examples of this through the mother & grandmothers' care-taking for the young children in the home. When nothing they try works, the family sends both of the adolescent boys on a journey through the desert (riding camels along the way) into the nearest town to get supplies and enlist the help of a local musician that can perform a ritualistic ceremony in order to entice a loving bond between the camel mother and colt. The landscape changes with the boys' journey into a village setting, seeing the contrast of their rural world to the "city," which is discussed with the family upon their return. In the end, there is an incredibly moving tone to the ritual of the camels...where tears even seem to be trickling down the animals' face...as the bond is finally formed my mother & offspring. To see this rich tapestry of family/animal life in a very barren landscape is breath-taking. As it was posed to me by Beatrix, the film is simply "beautiful!!!" So, thanks for the suggestion Ix (very thoughtful of you, considering we've never met)...and happy birthday Jeff. Now, dry those eyes.

5 out of 5 stars