The Cave of the Yellow Dog
(Die Höhle des gelben Hundes)
In Mongolian with English subtitles • Co-director of The Story of the Weeping Camel, Byambasuren Davaa makes a welcome return to the Mongolian steppes for an engaging story infused with serene charm and breathtaking beauty. At the center is six-year-old Nansal, the oldest of three children in a nomadic clan of shepherds, who finds a stray dog near the family′s yurt. Her father, concerned about bad luck from a dog that might have associated with wolves, orders her to get rid of him. But Nansal asserts a steely persistence, attempting to hide her new friend. As in her previous film, Davaa uses an actual nomadic family to enact the tale, and her skillful combination of documentary material and dramatic techniques invests this warmhearted story with great authenticity. The film′s reverence for nature is reflected in its fascinating details of day-to-day survival and its illustration of human-animal interdependence in the windy Mongolian grasslands. — A. Saknussen
Director: Byambasuren Davaa
Screenwriter: Byambasuren Davaa
Cinematographer: Daniel Schoenauer
Editor: Sarah Clara Weber
Cast: Batchuluun Urjindorj, Buyandulam Daramdadi Batchuluun, Nansalmaa Batchuluun, Batbayer Batchuluun
Print Source: Tartan Films
Email: gtrischitta@tartanfilmsusa.com
