The Story of the Weeping Camel is a film which will give you a good look into a different world, as long as you're not "Mongolian". It has the feel of a documentary, as if you are looking in on a real families life, almost as if there was never a camera to film it. If do you remember that you're watching a film, you may wonder how in the hell the camera man got the shots they did. I did. It was sorta like watching "Milo and Otis", I am still amazed at the shots achieved in this movie.
And I learned a lot about the culture in the Gobi Desert. Perhaps more so because there were no subtitles. Though I couldn't understand what was being said, I was able to follow the story passably and my attention was allowed to wander around the screen instead of just reading English at the bottom. Because I wasn't distracted I was able to see more details of this mode of life.
However, I also don't have a lot to say about it. It looks like a nice life, perhaps a bit hard, but close and comforting. And very dependent on camels and goats. If you want to know about Mongolian culture, watch this move. Most people will probably want subtitles and most will probably benefit from them. I think I would have preferred subtitles myself, in the end, because, uh, I like language. I like to understand. I'm lazy and wanna be spoon fed! Besides, it would give me more to say about the movie than just "Watch it! It'll be good for you to experience another culture even if it is as remote as through a television screen!"
Perhaps I'll watch it again with subtitles and get the best of both worlds.
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