The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003)

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.

To a nomadic shepherd family in Mongolia, the breeding of livestock is an important part of life. So when one camel gives birth and appears to reject the white colt, it is a major issue that threatens the life of newly born camel and sees the family trying many techniques to keep the baby alive and foster the maternal relationship important for survival.The hype around this film is quite something to behold. Reviews on this site and others praise the emotional impact of the film and berate fictional films for not replicating this documentary; heck, many users here and quick to boot "Hollywood" (whatever that represents) for not delivering all that this film does! I ignored this because everyone who finds a good independent film tends to praise it heavily while also lashing out at the "system" whether it is deserved or not so I tried to come to the film with fresh eyes and uncoloured perspective. What I found was a film that was perfectly charming but not ever engaging to the point of being important. I cannot speak for the others who have loved this film so in the same way I do not want to really rip into what they say – all I can do is disagree with the extent to which they felt this film touched them.To give it its dues though, I was intrigued by the story and amused by it for about 90 minutes. To remind you that this is a film about the camel that belongs to a Mongolian family should at least suggest that it has done something right to hold the viewer. However it does rather trade on the "novelty" value of the subject matter and it will appeal mostly to those on the liberal side of the political spectrum that will immediately be held or touched by the beauty of the indigenous peoples. I am not in that camp per se and I was not held by the magic of seeing people surviving off the land – although I recognise that for some viewers buttons will be pushed by this. What it is is "nice", and that is not a great compliment in my book. The film does have charm and a certain airy patience to the tale and the delivery that makes it quite relaxing to watch, but more than that? Well no.So if you are in the mood for something earthy and indigenous then The Story of the Weeping Camel should fit the bill but it is over-hyped and, while cheering and quite charming, it is not brilliant, a great documentary or a film that will stay with you for that long. I'm sure many people will message me pointing out how cynical and bitter my heart has become with all this reviewing malarkey, but ultimately this is a good film – just not the great one that some would have you believe.

This movie took 90 minutes. Those must have been the longest 90 minutes in all my life, because I thought this thing was 3 hours, or something like that. I half fell asleep, twice, and even though the beautiful landscape was pretty decent, the makers forgot one very important thing: pace.Because this could have been quite an interesting documentary, if it would last for 30 minutes.Further on, the characters. Who comes up with a name like dude in a 'cultural study', something about different civilizations for god sakes. Why don't they just name the movie 'dude, where's my camel?' and be done with it.Oscar nomination my ass. I fell asleep with this sleeper movie. So, damn.

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.