The Story Of the Weeping Camel,
Dir: Luigi Falorni & Byambasuren Davaa Mongolia / Germany 2003
93 mins GEN
There is a disarming charm to this virtually wordless drama from the distant
wilds of Mongolia. Guaranteed to be unlike anything that you've ever seen
before, it¹s a tale of two coexisting species, camels and humans, and it is
fascinating, funny and emotionally engaging.At the end of the birthing season,
an extended family of nomadic shepherds in the Gobi Desert gathers to help the
last female camel give birth. It's a difficult delivery, and she rejects the
white calf, leaving it helpless and hungry. The shepherds try everything to get
the mother to reunite with her offspring, eventually sending two young boys on a
long camel ride to a distant village to bring a musician to play for the mother
camel and coax her to embrace her baby. The premise is simple, but the film
resonates with an astonishing complexity. There is little dialogue and the two
main characters are camels! But these animals have hugely expressive faces, and
their interaction with each other and their human hosts is actually very
meaningful. The filmmakers (who met at film school in Germany) capture the
characters and the setting with gorgeous cinematography, expert sound mixing and
accomplished editing that makes the film feel like both an intimate documentary
of everyday life in the Gobi Desert and an engaging story of the
interrelationship between man and nature. This family refuses to take the
artificial way out ‹ they could just feed the calf themselves ‹ but their goal
is to restore the natural balance of life in a world that has been abused and
exploited. This is a remarkable film. - Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Luigi Falorni (born Florence, Italy, 1971) studied film directing in a Florence
college before attending Munich Film School (HFFM) where he specialised in
documentary and cinematography. The Story of the Weeping Camel (03) is his
graduation film. Byambasuren Davaa (born Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 1971) worked for
Mongolia¹s public TV and attended the film academy in Ulaanbaatar. She has been
studying in the documentary department of HFFM and The Story of the Weeping
Camel was her second project there.
³As the popularity of Winged Migration and Whale Rider has demonstrated, films
which return to nature, tradition and the potential simplicity of existence are
proving a tonic to western audiences plagued by the anxieties of contemporary
life on a local and global level. A gem like The Story Of The Weeping Camel has
all the qualities to melt the hardest heart, and become a cult item for adult
and student audiences alike.² - Screen International
³Lovely! A truly beautiful film the whole family ought to embrace!² - Time
³Crowd pleasing! It¹s part old-fashioned Disney nature doc, part cosy home
movie, part surprise musical...a triumph² - What¹s On
³Please see this movie....its one of a kind.² - Wall Street Journal
³Extraordinary...enchanting...anyone unmoved needs to have their hearts
overhauled.² - The Observer
Winner - Audience Award / Karlovy Vary Film Festival 2004