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Germany, Mongolia · 2005
Rated PG · 1h 33m
Director Byambasuren Davaa
Starring Batchuluun Urjindorj, Buyandulam Daramdadi, Nansal Batchuluun, Nansalmaa Batchuluun
Genre Drama
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The little nomad girl, Nansal, finds a baby dog in the Mongolian veld, who becomes her best friend against all rejections of her parents. A story about a Mongolian family of nomads — their traditional way of life and the rising call of the City.
It's not a picture with tremendous drama, and the entirely nonprofessional cast is sometimes a little stiff, but on sheer charm, intimacy and the pictorial wonder of its setting in the wide-open Mongolian grasslands, it's one of the family pictures of the year.
Davaa's strong visual sense, engaging cast and respect for basic film grammar make this slim exercise in managed reality go the distance.
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
It's the perfect antidote to overprocessed entertainment, for moviegoers of any age.
The Cave of the Yellow Dog has an abundance of gentle humor, much of it provided by an adorably scruffy toddler, but there's also impressive strength and wisdom in the family's uncomplaining, shoulder-to-the-wheel approach to the world.
Davaa's second fable of animals and the people who love them mixes aspects of ethnographic filmmaking with heart-grabbing story lines that wouldn't be too far out of place in a 1950s live-action Disney feature.
At times the film's Buddhist lessons feel a bit forced, but the naturalistic performances Davaa has coaxed from a real-life Mongolian family, and her intimate understanding of their culture and values, give this sensitive portrayal its heft.
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
The dog is cute, the children are adorable, and the earth and the sky seem to stretch on without limit in The Cave of the Yellow Dog. Unfortunately, so does the slight story.
Writer-director Davaa allows the drama to emerge organically out of the characters, the beautifully captured setting, and the conflict between the past and the present.
The Hollywood Reporter by Sheri Linden
The film offers fascinating glimpses of a hardworking but unhurried way of life, though it doesn't have the powerful dramatic hook of "The Story of the Weeping Camel."
Sweet isn't a word often used to describe movies these days, but it's one that applies to The Cave of the Yellow Dog.
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