The Story of the Weeping Camel

A bizarre but enchanting little film, The Story of the Weeping Camel documents the travails of a Mongolian baby camel, born at the end of the birthing season. Perhaps because he's so sickly and pale-looking, the camel's mother rejects him, refusing to allow him to drink her milk. Desperate not to upset the fragile balance of nature, the local shepherds try everything to see the camel and his mother united. After all else fails, their final course of action is to send two of the youngsters from their group of nomads (Enkhbulgan and Uuganbaatar) to visit another tribe to ask a famed healer to help them.

So far, so sweet. In the hands of lesser directors, The Story of the Weeping Camel could have easily subsided into sentimental mush, but Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni keep a tight, ahem, reign on the proceedings. Essentially a treatise on the relationships formed between man and beast as well as offering a glimpse into the everyday realities for those who live in the harsh environs of the Gobi Desert, The Story of the Weeping Camel works on several different levels, never sacrificing its emotional complexities for an all too easy pay off. The cinematography from the German trained Falorni is quite extraordinary, gently and effectively utilising the barrenness of the desert landscape as a character in the movie. However, it's the quiet dignity, atmosphere and dedication to documenting their subjects - remarkably dialogue is at an absolute minimum here - which makes The Story of the Weeping Camel a barely there gem of a picture.