Astonishing in its pure simplicity and mesmerizing quietude, the thrilling new documentary THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL is proof that the genre's worldwide success in 2003 -- a year that boasted Winged Migration, Capturing The Friedmans, The Fog of War, My Architect, Balseros, Bus 174, Lost in La Mancha and Spellbound -- will continue into the new year. CAMEL may, in fact, be more impressive than those deserved success stories, if only in how far it had to travel to reach U.S. audiences. Made on a miniscule budget by two unknown directors barely out of their 20's, CAMEL is a capsule impression of one nomadic Mongolian family, whose major dramatic storyline is the troublesome birth of a baby camel. Recognized for its special qualities by programmers of the Munich, Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal film festivals, the film found acclaim and wider audiences when it became Mongolia's first submission for the Academy Award.

Eschewing narration and other staples of the documentary trade, the young directors of THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL masterfully let their subjects speak for themselves, imbuing the film with a graceful plaintiveness that positively reverberates with authenticity. What emerges from this extended, intergenerational family portrait (including three children, parents, and grandparents) is not only a picture of interdependence built on love and tradition, but an example of -- and compelling argument for -- a simpler life. CAMEL never trivializes its subjects, but neither does it impose dramatics. Its organic tale pays out exactly as its has for centuries, on the edge of the windswept, brutal Gobi Desert...the daily concerns of survival, the traumas and humor of existence outside of the technological world. For anyone who has ever wanted to turn the volume down on life's white noise, THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL is just what the doctor ordered.

The outside world is encroaching, of course, even here. One of the young boys, the irrepressibly cherubic Ugna (Uuganbaatar Ikhbayar, the film's 'breakout star', if such a thing is possible), marvels as only a child can at a neighbor's television. One of the film's greatest running gags, in fact, is Ugna's telegenic obsession, quietly pricing TV sets on a visit to a market and blithely ignoring his brother when he callously points out that the family's home has no electricity. Even with this awareness of a world beyond the grazing camel herd, however, the powerful familial bonds are unquestionably the film's most evident theme. Mothers, sons, grandmothers, even the adult men sing songs, laugh, and visibly enjoy each other. It is, dare I say, life affirming.

The plot of THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL is surprisingly intense, considering its lack of complexity: a camel gives birth to an albino calf and immediately rejects it, leaving it for dead as sometimes happens. The family launches into action, employing time-honored techniques to reunite mother and calf. Nothing works. Deciding on desperate measures, Ugna and his brother Dude (Enkhbulgan Ikhbayar) are sent to the nearest outpost to fetch a violinist (Munkhbayar Lhagvaa) for a last-ditch ritual. Without giving away the rest of the charming, surprising drama, one does begin to realize that these people may have figured something out about family and the interlocking pieces of the ecosphere that has eluded all of Western, even modern, science and agronomy -- a connection to the natural world based in harmony and respect.

The awe-inspiring vistas of the Gobi Desert are captured in great detail by cinematographer Luigi Falorni, who is also the film's co-director and co-screenwriter with partner Byambasuren Davaa. The two, recent graduates of the Munich Film Academy (which also launched the career of Wim Wenders and others), exhibit a symbiotic sensibility that has eluded directors and writers many years their senior. The film bridges the gap between drama and documentary, never pontificating or proselytizing while maintaining a strong and candid point-of-view. The camels are adorably cute (and good actors to boot, especially the cute-as-a-button calf, Botok), but the directors' real subject is the relationship of this nomadic clan to their environment, their history, and each other. It is one that they capture as magnificently as any film in recent memory. THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL has the potential to appeal to every segment of society and touch many, many hearts. Make sure yours is one of them.

-- Gabriel Shanks

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