Reviews
The Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005)
Foreign cinema has many gems to offer audiences who love humanistic stories of animals brought into the family. The 2005 Mongolian-German movie The Cave of the Yellow Dog is one of these less-known heart-warming flicks from oceans and mountains apart.
Screenshot @ YouTube
Directed by Germany-based Mongolian director Byambasuren Davaa, The Cave of the Yellow Dog is set in the mountainous region of Mongolia and shows the life of a sheepherding gypsy family – a husband and wife along with their three little kids. Nansal, the first-born in the family, has returned from her school in the city and brings home a stray dog that she just found inside a cave. She names it Zochor. Her father is not happy with a dog from the wild and fears that wolves may follow the dog, endangering their herd. Will Nansal succeed in her effort to keep the dog?
The title of the movie has a deep thematic connection with a story within the plot. Nansal wanders off to meet an old woman who tells her about the legend of the Yellow Dog that touches on rebirth and the preciousness of the gift of life. The story is inspiring for doing good as an act of appreciation for this gift.
Cinematically, this movie is somewhat of a break from the routine movie format as it captures the pastoral life in the Mongolian mountains, very different from the familiar family scene in most movies, particularly in the west. The realism is captivating, owing in large part to the casting choice – a real-life family acting out the roles. The filmmakers impress with their success in capturing the natural expressions and movements of little Nansal (played by Nansal Batchuluun), Zochor, and other characters.
The Cave of the Yellow Dog is posted at a few places online with English subtitles, including YouTube.
IMDb page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432325/
