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Cave of the Yellow Dog, The
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 8 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama | Foreign
Written by: Byambasuren Davaa
Directed by: Byambasuren Davaa
Release Date:
Theatrical: November 10, 2006
DVD: February 13, 2007
Running Time: 93 minutes, Color
Origin: Mongolia / Germany
Language(s): Mongolian (with English subtitles)
Summary
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)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: The Story of the Weeping Camel
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
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...
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
It's the perfect antidote to overprocessed entertainment, for moviegoers of any age.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt
A remarkable movie: touching, honest, and unassuming, without a hint of irony or false motive.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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."
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
Despite the exotic locale and the photogenic moppets, that's not enough for a satisfying movie.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 8 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.
