This 2003 movie is just fascinating. It is not quite documentary, but has real Mongolian nomads playing themselves and creating a film out of their life experiences.
The story simply centers around a camel that has given birth to a white camel in a difficult delivery. And she does not like the baby. The family, living in traditional yurts at the edge of the Gobi desert tries everything, but she will not let the baby nurse.
At a family meeting it is decided, two of the boys must go to a central village and ask for a musician to come play a song that will heal the rift between camel and calf. The journey itself is long, and made more dangerous by the temptation of a more modern life, as the boys encounter TV and bicycles.
But the movie is a wonderful appreciation of the traditional nomadic life. It is a way of life that we may not relate to completely, but the are commonalities. The temptation of conspicuous consumption. Parents worried about their kids growing up. Families worried about their livelihood.
And if you have never heard a baby camel cry for its mom...the sound is haunting and terrible.
This is a really good movie. Not usual, but well worth the viewing. It is a movie you will remember.
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