This is not exactly a documentary and not exactly a narrative film. It takes place in the Gobi Desert and focues on a nomadic Mongolian family. A man enters the frame and tells us an old folk tale about a camel constantly seeking the horizon.
The family are shepherds of camels. One births a rare white camel, but does not allow it to breastfeed on her. To help her along, the family sends their sons to a local village to bring back musicians to perform a ritual, which does the trick.
Although it got many accolades and won awards in Documentary categories, I question just how "documentary" it is. The film is pretty much a look of the daily life of a family such as this, nothing flashy and simply portrayed. Most of the actors were probably amateurs, and the "acting" was probably more off the cuff than scripted, but of course the plot must needs be written to make the story, and I don't think the filmmakers by happenstance chanced on this plotline. Since the movie had come out, and hearing about its many awards, I thought it would be deeper story. I've seen a few other films about nomads or indigenous peoples and this one I think is a little folk tale-ish. It IS a simple, feel-good story though.
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