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Plot Summary
With Happy People: A Year in the Taiga, iconic filmmaker Werner Herzog embarks on another unforgettable journey into the heart of a remote natural environment. Deep in the Siberian wilderness, leagues away from civilization, a mere 300 people inhabit the village of Bakhta on the Yenisei river. This outpost can only be reached in two ways: boat and helicopter. There is no running water, no medical aid or even a single telephone. The locals, whose daily routines have hardly changed over the centuries, live self-reliantly according to their cultural traditions. Through insightful narration by Herzog, Happy People follows a few veteran Siberian trappers through the Taiga's four seasons to tell the incredible story of a society untouched by modernity.
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Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
87%- Reviews Counted: 46
- Fresh: 40
- Rotten: 6
- Average Rating: 6.9/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: Mr. Herzog is openly inspired, as ever, by the rugged independence of these resourceful trappers, who seem stoic about everything but their faithful dogs.
Fresh: Herzog has become a master of the understatement - knowing just how long the images can sustain you without a word being said.
Fresh: We should be grateful to Herzog for bringing us this remarkable footage, but the real subject of "Happy People" may be his yearning for an imaginary paradise he can't have.
Fresh: It's fitting that this film of people making do with what they have should itself look somewhat humble, without lyricism, a work not of beauty but of work-which is the thing that makes it beautiful, no matter who directed it.
Customer Reviews
It is philistine not to recognize what a good movie it is.
Simple truth spoken through the wonderful shots of people and nature.
Excellent
Wow, what a fascinating life. This documentary was very well done. The filmmakers were able to get some fantastic shots and tell a remarkable story. Plus, the music was absolutely beautiful. I personally was hoping to learn more about what happens within the village outside the role of the trappers (family, kids, other professions and activities), but the story was about the trappers and that story was told well.
Excellent Change
People like this amaze me. The seasons are so extreme, and they work so hard in comparison to our way of life in the USA. The filming is superb with most shots very close up. The people speak Russian so there is some reading of subtitles, but not much. If they don't work, they don't eat, and if they don't chop wood, they freeze. This is an excellent change to the snotty movies that are mainstream now.
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- $12.99
- Genre: Documentary
- Released: 2013
- © 2013 Southport Music Box Corporation d/b/a Music Box Films.