Happy People: A Year in the Taiga

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2010)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This documentary was co-directed and narrated by Werner Herzog but it didn't gather as much attention as some of the filmmaker's previous films, which is a shame because this here is another winner. The film covers a full year with several trappers as we see what they seasonal lives are all about. This includes various traps that they must make, issues they face in the wilderness and some of the most fascinating stuff dealing with them living in the bitter cold winters where temperatures reach fifty-below zero. HAPPY PEOPLE: A YEAR IN THE TAIGA is a really good film and nothing short of what you've come to expect from Herzog. From what I've read, co-director Dmitry Vasyukov actually spent the time in Bakhtia, Russia and the footage was then turned over to Herzog. Even though the famed Germany director wasn't actually on the ground, this here still comes across as his film and it contains that certain love and joy that some of his best work has. This film is yet another in a long line of films that take a look at people living in horrid condition yet being completely happy in their environment. Herzog has always been able to take "off" characters and make them seem normal. That's what happens here as we track these trappers as they go from one hunt to another while having to deal with nature and come up with creative ways to trap and live. Herzog offers up his typical great narration but the real people are certainly the stars here as we get to really know them and understand why they love doing what they do.

I watched this film during an Australian heatwave - good choice!

Definitely helped cool me down. Witnessing a Siberian winter has that effect on you. I really loved the simple, yet inspiring way of life these people had. No radio, no TV, no internet, no phone - just man and dog vs an endless wilderness. There's something quite appealing about that. It's doubtful I'll ever experience that kind of solitude, but it was great living vicariously through these tough Russian trappers!

I wouldn't recommend the film for vegans or vegetarians though, as it depicts an old traditional way of life - living off the land, hunting animals, and using the landscape to survive, make a living. It was emotional watching the old war veteran break down talking about the war too; nevermind the amazing dog who ran 150km non-stop in the snow to get home - pass me the tissues!

I loved the leisurely pace of the film. It never felt boring and was thoroughly interesting throughout. I can't help but think my own Grandfather, who was a hunter and bushman would've enjoyed seeing his Russian equivalents and their unique methods for overcoming challenges.

These people really put my own first world problems in perspective. Definitely recommend to those needing a slower pace of life, or who are stressed out or anxious. Probably my favourite Herzog film to date.

If you like Werner Herzog then this film won't disappoint. His style is simple, honest and transparent. He gives you a clear sense of the reality of what most people would perceive to be a harsh way of life in the Russian Taiga. We see humans who are connected to the cycles of nature, to the animals, the forest and to their traditions. There is a quiet wisdom and deep joy in this way of life and the film serves as a powerful contrast to virtually every other piece of media being made today. The film is like poem to a way of life that now seems like a distant dream. It is beautifully shot, with vignettes that look like they are living paintings; Russian characters from the time of Tolstoy or Dostoyevesky.

Went back to it a couple of times and marvelled at the ease of life for these simple folks in an otherwise demanding climate. The title did it complete justice too if you think about it, none of the trappings ( pardon the pun ) of modern society with stupid electronics and rush hours and conveniences and distractions. Seems to me there's a huge lesson in this documentary as it pertains to that very thing. Stay simple and work hard every day, at one with nature, and the land will provide. Sign me up. You'll marvel at the beauty of the landscape and the rugged danger of the incredible wilderness these people call home. Give it a try and let Werner Herzog captivate you with that Schwarzeneggarian dialogue too! LOL

Solid and straightforward illumination of the ways in which a few fur-trappers live and work year-round in the Siberian Taiga.

Starting in Spring, we follow the stoic men on their seasonal routines in the village of Bakhtia on the Yenisei river. The utterly unique sight and sound of that big old river thawing and moving and creaking under the warm sun is totally sublime. With the onset of summer, the villagers participate in a fishing frenzy while fending off massive swarms of mosquitoes by rubbing tar all over themselves, their kids and their dogs. As autumn brings torrential rains, the water level rises and the trappers anxiously begin boating their heavy supplies into the vast forest. They begin repairing their traditional traps scattered throughout the expanse while re-constructing their personal wooden huts, which they will use as shelters along their treks through the deep snow.

Other than one hilarious moment showing an alternatively modern fishing method, most all preparations for the long and lonely winter of work in the wilderness are performed according to very old cultural traditions. The simple and skilled construction of skis, traps, canoes, and huts from natural materials is shown with a patient fascination that draws us into a culture uniquely connected to the earth.

Herzog's narration adds insight and a quirky humor to this otherwise forthright film. His patent deadpan humor -- largely deriving in his over-enunciated German accent -- and his honest admiration of these self-reliant men living off the land in total freedom from materialism and bureaucracy is refreshing, even if a bit romanticized.