Cave of the Yellow Dog (Mongolian 2005) by Byambasuren Davaa

[cranefly]

This is a slice-of-life tale of the Batchuluun family living in the Mongolian steppes. It is not a documentary. The woman director, Byambasuren Davaa, was born in Mongolia and wanted to record that way of life for posterity. Her original script called for much more to happen, but it was difficult to get the Batchuluum family -- husband and wife and 3 children, none of them actors -- to do all that she wanted. What she discovered was that their everyday life was interesting in itself. So while there is a story, most of what she has captured is their everyday activities. This was a good call on her part, having ethnographic importance as well as providing a fascinating glimpse into the Mongolian way of life in the steppes. The director got impressive natural performances from the whole family, but especially the oldest girl (age 5), who is the pivotal character in the tale.

No swordfights or Bollywood dance numbers, but still I’d recommend it on cultural grounds.

I really must check out the director's other works, such as The Story of the Weeping Camel and The Two Horses of Genghis Khan.

Oh, there’s a dog. Not yellow like the title says, which has to do with a legend involving a yellow dog.