The Story of the Weeping Camel

Some movies must be seen because they show us a slice of life we'd probably never see any other way. The Story of the Weeping Camel is one such movie, a film of simple rigor and heartfelt emotion. Described as "a narrative nonfiction drama," this entirely fascinating movie is set in the lonely expanses of the Gobi Desert. Weeping Camel tells the story of a Mongolian family trying to cajole a mother camel into accepting her new calf, a rare white camel that arrives in a difficult birth. Directors Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni try for as much naturalism as possible. Camel has a tightly-knit quality in part because its human protagonists involve four generations of nomads who live together in a cluster of yurts. Dominated by the expansive landscapes, the weathered faces of the adult characters and a touching story of maternal conflict, The Story of the Weeping Camel proves a small revelation, a movie that's unafraid of straightforward expressions of emotion. Source: Robert Denerstein, Rocky Mountain News.