ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

CINEMA PROVIDES us with a window on the world. It can take us to places that we could never hope to visit or help explain cultures that are exotic and far removed from our own experience.

In ‘The Cave Of The Yellow Dog’, we learn something of the hardships of nomad life in Mongolia and witness family ties that are universal.

The latest documentary-drama from the writer and director of ‘The Story Of The Weeping Camel’ is just as charming as the previous film, and offers family audiences a genuine alternative to the big-budget Hollywood offerings that pepper the Summer months.

The story could not be simpler. Out collecting dried dung to use as fuel, six year-old Nansal discovers a stray dog in a cave. She befriends the animal and names it Spot.

Her father Urjindorj fears that the dog has been running with wolves and forbids the girl to keep it as a pet. She decides to defy her father, and the film is a tale of how the dog proves himself as worthy of the family’s affection and respect.

This could be a typical children’s story, and you can imagine how heart-tugging it might have been in other hands. Davaa’s treatment of it is neither sentimental nor slick, but the rough edges are part of its appeal as we understand that this is a very real and harsh world in which this family struggle to survive.

There are various scenes in which modern life is seen to intrude on their customs and traditions. Ultimately, this is a heartwarming film but also an elegy for a way of life that is under threat.

Nationwide release
Director: Byambasuren Davaa
Stars: Urjindorj Batchuluun, Buyandulam Daramdadi Batchuluun, Nansai Batchuluun, Nansalmaa Batchuluun
Screenwriter: Byambasuren Davaa based on a story by Gantuya Lhagva
Certificate: U
Running time: 93 mins
Country: Germany/Mongolia
Year: 2005

© Allan Hunter, 2006