The greatest movie ever made..!

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Amateur movie with Big budget

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

A family of nomadic herdsmen lives traditionally in South Mongolia. The last calf born to their camel herd is especially difficult. The colt is white and rejected by his mother. The family sends the two young sons to find a musician who could coax the mother back to her offspring.This is an interesting slice of a traditional lifestyle. The movie starts with no tension. It's questionable what the story is about for a long stretch in the beginning. There is also the question of how real the story is. This feels like a fable trying to be a documentary. It's not my preference but it's not a major problem. It's fascinating but ultimately the style lacks any tension.

This is a short tale of a bactrian camel owned by Mongolian shepherds who gives birth to an albino named Botok, rejects it, and when it is about to expire, finally accepts it as her own offspring. The ten-minute story is accompanied by a simple sentimental melody on strings.The bactrian camel has two humps, unlike like the dromedary of the Arabian desert which has one. The Gobi desert is at higher latitudes and gets powerfully cold, so the beasts are appropriately shaggy and robust.Of course one's heart is engaged while the viewer watches the newborn take its first faltering steps and the shepherds encourage it to nurse from its mother while at the same time feeding it milk from a hollow horn. This is argumentum ad miseracordiam and is irresistible.It really works too. The bactrian neonate must be one of the few animals that can be pathetic without being cute. This is one awkward looking juvenile. It appears to have been assembled out of playdo by a drunken child. I was rooting like hell for Botok to finally be accepted by his mother.There is some evidence of staging. The shepherds' hands are clean and their nails are trimmed. The men are closely shaved and their silk garments look brand new. Those are minor carps. The explicit message of the movie is that we should all feel love because it's somehow good.Okay.

Perhaps one year ago I saw this film in Sydney at an independent theater (Where else)! I did enjoy it very much since I spent my early life in rural area then my early working life in small dairy-farms that today would also be obsolete. The reason I mention this is because I just watched "the cave of the yellow dog" and to me it resemble very much as a sequel to "weeping camel". If you like one I really think you should not miss the other. Well written comments I'm sure have told you what it's all about and I can't imagine anyone seeing spoiler in being told what it is. Just this the life in nomadic Mongolia a life that has its days counted, but a beautiful though hard life. I'm sorry that one comment suspected some ulterior agenda in the making of these films such as tourism promotion and I would find it hard to argue with its author who claims to be Mongol and have no reason to doubt he is. He thought the translation was somehow manipulative, at least that's what I understood. This is always a problem when one knows more than what is expected. Just the same as those with knowledge of how movies and special effect are made, well it's hard for them to enjoy the result. When I see french movies with English subtitles and read the translation I often can see it does not convey, and can not convey the feeling it was intended to convey in the original language. I think there is little that can be done about this. Yet this is also what makes different cultures so attractive and one has to invest a little in some curiosity to understand the subtlety although there is no guaranty to get it 100% right. I think there is no much gain in trying to analyse too much such work, not that it should not be done, simply if you're seeking enjoyment it's there and all you have to do is go with the flow and you will be rewarded. MB

Like many people I wondered why I should see a film about a Mongolian family and their camel but this is a film full of grace. Byambasuren Dava and Luigi Falorni directed and wrote this story about a Mongolian family and the birth of a camel. The birth scene is wonderful and its the real thing. It is film full of miracles and charm.The mother rejects her new born and despite much effort to coax the mother into accepting her baby everything fails. Your heart goes out to the beautiful little camel who will surely die if she does not drink milk. The baby rejects the milk given by the human family. A miracle is needed and the miracle is music. I wont spoil the surprise because it is riveting. The animals are beautiful as is the love the people have for their four legged family. These may be working creatures but the love and respect people have for their live stock puts our culture to shame. The scenes of the desert are glorious. The people are all non actors and they are beautiful. They live a stark existence but you cannot help but envy them. The curtain call at the end was beautiful, those graceful people are an enchantment. The miracle of music is matched with the beauty of the people. Those little camels are a joy! Those camels give the most moving emotional performances I have seen for years.