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Contains one scene of sheep skinningWriter-director Byambasuren Davaa follows up her sleeper hit The Story of The Weeping Camel with another skilful blend of drama and documentary. The Cave of The Yellow Dog is an engaging portrait of life in a Mongolian nomad family, set in the northwest province of Altai.
The film hinges on the conflict between sheep-tending father Urjindorj and his six year-old daughter Nansal, over a puppy she discovers in the wild. The core story is a slender affair: Nansal is expected to get rid of her new pet in case it attacks the family's sheep and goats, but the dog then saves a human life.
What's rewarding is Davaa's focus on specific details of the hardworking Batchuluuns' everyday lives. The nomads' values and beliefs are illustrated in the making of cheese and the dismantling of their yurt (a temporary tented home). They tirelessly adapt to nature. The Buddhist cycle of reincarnation is a central concept here. In the father's words, "everyone dies, but no one is dead".
"THE VISUAL STYLE RESPECTS HUMANITY AND LANDSCAPE"
The unobtrusive visual style respects both the human characters and the wider landscape, with Davaa shooting her compositions in medium and long shot. Taking its title from a fable delivered to Nansal by a wizened woman, The Cave of the Yellow Dog offers an unhurried account of a nomadic culture whose future is imperilled by the ongoing migration of its members to the (off-screen) city.
In Mongolian with English subtitles.
