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Cave of the Yellow Dog, The
Tartan USA


8.7

based on 16 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

The Story of the Weeping Camel

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Babbayar Batchuluun, Nansal Batchuluun, Nansalmaa Batchuluun, Buyandulam Daramdadi, and Batchuluun Urjindorj

A Mongolian nomad family find themselves in disagreement when the oldest daughter, Nansal, finds a dog and brings it home. Believing that it is responsible for attacking his sheep, her father refuses to allow her to keep it. When it's time for the family to move on, Nansal must decide whether to defy her father and take her new friend with them. Oscar-nominated director Byambasuren’s follow up to the hugely successful "The Story of the Weeping Camel" is a thought provoking mix of documentary and drama that tells the story of the age-old bond between man and dog, a bond which experiences a new twist through the eternal cycle of reincarnation in Mongolia. (Tartan Films)

GENRE(S):	Drama \| Foreign
WRITTEN BY:	Byambasuren Davaa
DIRECTED BY:	Byambasuren Davaa
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: February 13, 2007 Theatrical: November 10, 2006
RUNNING TIME:	93 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Mongolia / Germany
LANGUAGE(S):	Mongolian (with English subtitles)

Original title "Die Höhle des Gelben Hundes"

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

It's the perfect antidote to overprocessed entertainment, for moviegoers of any age.

100

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Gianni Truzzi

Yellow Dog shows Davaa's growing refinement as a filmmaker, and that the success of "Weeping Camel" -- her master's thesis for film school in Munich that became an Oscar nominee -- was fully deserved.

Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt

A remarkable movie: touching, honest, and unassuming, without a hint of irony or false motive.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Children and animals, if they're handled right, can be among the great natural movie actors, and in The Cave of the Yellow Dog, writer-director Byambasuren Davaa handles her cast of youngsters and creatures (and a few adults) heartwarmingly well.

TV Guide Ken Fox

Davaa's second fable of animals and the people who love them mixes aspects of ethnographic filmmaking with heart-grabbing story lines that wouldn't be too far out of place in a 1950s live-action Disney feature.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

It's not a picture with tremendous drama, and the entirely nonprofessional cast is sometimes a little stiff, but on sheer charm, intimacy and the pictorial wonder of its setting in the wide-open Mongolian grasslands, it's one of the family pictures of the year.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

Writer-director Davaa allows the drama to emerge organically out of the characters, the beautifully captured setting, and the conflict between the past and the present.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Sweet isn't a word often used to describe movies these days, but it's one that applies to The Cave of the Yellow Dog.

San Francisco Chronicle Walter Addiego

This is a timeless, and nearly plotless, look at the day-to-day life of a nomadic Mongolian shepherding family. Yes, it moves deliberately, and impatient viewers will find it intolerably slow. But those who can get in track with its serene rhythm will be rewarded.

Village Voice Leslie Camhi

At times the film's Buddhist lessons feel a bit forced, but the naturalistic performances Davaa has coaxed from a real-life Mongolian family, and her intimate understanding of their culture and values, give this sensitive portrayal its heft.

LA Weekly Ernest Hardy

The Cave of the Yellow Dog has an abundance of gentle humor, much of it provided by an adorably scruffy toddler, but there's also impressive strength and wisdom in the family's uncomplaining, shoulder-to-the-wheel approach to the world.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Davaa has made a sweetly meditative film.

The Hollywood Reporter Sheri Linden

The film offers fascinating glimpses of a hardworking but unhurried way of life, though it doesn't have the powerful dramatic hook of "The Story of the Weeping Camel."

Variety Derek Elley

Davaa's strong visual sense, engaging cast and respect for basic film grammar make this slim exercise in managed reality go the distance.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

The dog is cute, the children are adorable, and the earth and the sky seem to stretch on without limit in The Cave of the Yellow Dog. Unfortunately, so does the slight story.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Despite the exotic locale and the photogenic moppets, that's not enough for a satisfying movie.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

[Anonymous] gave it a7:
Fascinating glimpses of a way of life little known to most of us. Nicely made film, lovely cinematography, but the storyline is too meager even for minimalist tastes.

Grant C. gave it an8:
A beautiful meditation on unhurried nomadic lives. Seeing the day to day existence of the family is more fascinating than the story of the dog, which feels slightly uncomfortably grafted onto the film's straightforward ethnography. I was moved and involved with the whole thing, though, and the film contains many striking and memorable images. A rare film in which you feel your time has been rewarded.

Steven S. gave it a7:
Very simplistic story about a family whose eldest daughter finds a dog her father doesn't want her to keep. I would say well-acted, but I think the family essentially just played themselve ... almost more of a snapshot into what life is like on the Mongolian steppes with a simple story attached to make it "interesting". I'm not sure the story was a necessary addition.

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Cave of the Yellow Dog, The Tartan USA

Cave of the Yellow Dog, The
Tartan USA