What do we know about the snow-white North, its people, their lives? Perhaps, the horizons of the majority will be limited to a few jokes about the Chukchi and the song "We will go, we will race on deer in the early morning." Someone else will remember about deer, plague or yaranga and dog sleds. That's pretty much it. After all, even in films, heroes from the northern peoples appear vanishingly rarely, and even then more often in episodes. A film about the North is important and necessary. This film was “White Yagel” by Vladimir Tumayev.
The north of the White Jagel is like another planet, cold and wild, living according to its own special laws, albeit inhabited by people like us. The laws are harsh, dictated by unkind nature and difficult life. To give the child an education, he, crying and confused, has to be forcibly put in a helicopter – the nearest school, in which children will have to live most of the year, is hundreds of kilometers from their native camp. Someone is bitten by gray masters - wolves - and this is also a part of life, albeit sad. For the Nenets there is no death, only a very, very long road to the ancestors.
They graze deer, eat their meat, make clothes and shoes out of their skins. They pay for goods with fox skins, fall in love and get married. They know that somewhere far away, at an almost inaccessible distance, there is another life, more civilized. They have the children they are waiting for. But children who once flew away in a helicopter fledgling chicks are returning. They seem to have forgotten their native language. They can no longer eat raw meat. That people suddenly divided into those who left and those who remained, and even the great spirits of the ancestors can do nothing more to help - this abyss cannot be overcome.
The movie is sad. A film about love, suffering, choice, about deep human grief. It was like tablets, TVs, snowmobiles, mobile phones, and something important was gradually lost, gone, lost in the snowy desert. Unexpectedly, the centuries-old foundations have collapsed, and they cannot be glued together again.
The number of details and details of the story, the film is similar to a documentary, but shot quite talented. The beauty of landscapes cannot be conveyed in words. Selection of actors at the highest level. So I was waiting for a boring Chukchi movie, and I got a beautiful picture, authentic and authentic. A picture that is worth seeing for everyone.
Z. I'm a little confused by the love triangle. In my opinion, it could and should have been shown a little more subtly.
9 out of 10
We should thank director Vladimir Tumayev for giving the world such a wonderful film!
At first glance, "White Jagel" may seem like an ordinary melodrama film with a banal love triangle, but it is not! the brilliant director brings to the fore love of the people, respect for the Nenets traditions and their way of life. The fact that the film is almost entirely in the national language and only occasionally you can hear Russian speech - again speaks of the director's close attention to the feature of the film.
As for the plot of the picture, it can be divided into two parts: the first is a documentary depiction of the life of the Nenets people, the second is “family problems”. With the first part, everything becomes clear: the image of a beautiful winter landscape, unusual dwellings of this people, by the way, sometimes it becomes curious how the Nenets do not freeze, being inside such “houses”. Custom, clothing, reindeer herding and more. What about the second part? It's a lot more complicated here. .
“White Jagel” is a film that focuses on more than just one family. We witness the tragedy of many people: Alexei is the main character of the film, who loves a girl named Aniko since childhood, but he is married to an unloved neighbor, the grief happened to Aniko herself: her mother died from a wolf attack, the girl returns to her relatives, but she does not remember their language or traditions, here she is already a stranger. .
The film raises a lot of problems: love, the problem of the relationship between fathers and children, the problem of alcoholism, and this is not the whole list! A more attentive viewer will be able to see much more here.
It is worth noting that the film has several heart-wrenching scenes, so the viewer who knows how to empathize with others will not be able to overlook some scenes with a cold face!
The ending of this film is ambiguous, and this is the interesting “White Jagel”! We would like to see more such films in our cinema, i.e., pictures of other nationalities that demonstrate the diversity of our world, its “uniqueness”, and, of course, the presence of a deep subtext.
The film takes place in the Far North in the tundra, where people live according to the laws of harsh nature. The Nenets are an ancient people with a strong character and centuries-old traditions. The main character of the film Alyoshka experiences feelings that make him choose between youthful love and the memory of his ancestors, which cannot be betrayed.
The film begins with how Nenets children hide in barrels, climb under the skins of animals, as long as they are not put in a helicopter that takes children to the Big Earth in the world of a white man, where they should study at school for six months.
Really? That scene made me cry! After all, Nenets children are used to living in harsh conditions near their loved ones, and not far from them, somewhere completely different world, in a world where they are distant from their culture, in a world that teaches to love money and destroys the civilization of a small people.
This feature film is for everyone who wants to get acquainted with the culture of the indigenous peoples of the North. The director was able to reveal the essence of the Nenets people.
He showed how the Nenets love nature. Girls don't use makeup. The Nenets melt snow to get water for drinking and washing, they eat raw deer meat, for them it is their delicacy.
The film is very beautiful, touching, sometimes, of course, too grotesque, but makes you experience a storm of emotions. They say little, but they feel a lot. However, the Nenets are really very silent and talk only about the case. It was well done (despite the funny ending). The views of the snowy desert are simply fascinating.
I love this movie: lively and non-standard. When watching, you immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the harsh north and, without breaking away, follow the characters and life of the heroes. The picture keeps in suspense until the last second.
After watching the film, you realize how beautiful the culture and traditions of the inhabitants of the Arctic tundra and will definitely want to visit these beautiful places.
10 out of 10
This film is beautiful both as a regional, national cinema, representing the life of the peoples of Russia, and as an international, universal cinema. Among its advantages: the soulful play of the leading actors and stunning camera work - the film is so beautiful, so artistic that it can be watched without sound, just getting aesthetic pleasure. The authors of the film managed to convey the pristine atmosphere of the Nenets Territory - a place where a person did not become the master of nature, he has to defend his right to life every day, and this tempers the people living there. But the most important thing is that the film talks about very important things, and it’s very serious. Where is the line between adult love and child love? Why listen to the strict voice of conscience or the gentle whisper of the heart? What happens if one of these votes is wrong?
I really liked the movie.
As you know, Russia is a multinational country, but this was rarely emphasized in Russian cinema, and the area of origin of events in films is mainly limited to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Rarely was it possible to see a picture that would reveal the culture and identity of a people that at the same time remains part of our country. Nevertheless, there were filmmakers who shot an unusual picture “White Jagel”, giving the audience the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of the people of the north of the Nenets.
Synopsis The ancient people of the Nenets have long honored their customs and traditions, but it is still necessary to adapt to the surrounding world. Therefore, sending their children to the big city for the sake of education, they put them before a choice, then return to their home or go their own, as yet uncertain way. Alyoshka has long made a choice in favor of his home. But once in their village returns old love Alyoshka, and now the young man stands at another crossroads - to choose love and turn away from the people or stay with them.
Directorship At first glance, “White Jagel” may seem like a banal melodrama, the focus of which is a love triangle. However, the director Vladimir Tumayev brings to the fore the love and respect for the native people. The most valuable thing in his directorial work is a close attention to the traditions and everyday life of the Nenets people. All this looks so colorful that involuntarily you begin to think about such things. It is worth noting that the film is entirely in the national language, and only occasionally you can hear Russian speech. This director further emphasized the national feature of the film.
Scenario Honestly, the plot of the picture develops very slowly, and only an almost documentary depiction of the life of the Nenets people saves the situation. The intrigue lies in the fact that Alyoshka’s mother, fearing that her son will never marry, forcibly finds him a wife, whom he, of course, does not love, because his heart belongs to an old love that has long left their village. After an accident, the girl returns to her family, but she does not remember their language or traditions. Alyoshka decides that this is another chance to regain his love, but he is torn. In the end, he makes his choice. However, the ending of the film still finished me with its content and semantic saturation. I am afraid that the average viewer will not even understand what he saw on the screen.
Result Despite the ambiguous ending, in general, "White Jagel" I really liked. In short, I would like to see more of these films in the film industry. As a Karelian, I especially like such films, because thanks to them you understand how beautiful our world is due to its uniqueness.
Life is actually very simple. Deer need jaguel, and they walk the tundra in search of it. People go after deer to live. To easily move around the tundra and have something to live in, you need a plague. In order for the plague to be cozy, while a man takes care of deer, his wife should look after him. That's the immutable Law of Life. Just like the Lion King. Everything in this life is subject to this law. Everything superfluous is sideways, there is no place in this world. Not because someone invented the law. Life just depends on it. In the most literal sense. And a thousand years ago. And the twenty-first century. It all comes down to white yagel.
I've been waiting for this for months. And White Jagel more than met my expectations. Like a breath of fresh frosty air.
The main character of the film is the harsh and amazing life of the Nenets, who, despite snowmobiles, phones and tablets, live exactly the same as centuries ago. It can be seen that the director Vladimir Tumayev (he, by the way, is not a Nenets and not from there at all) shot his film with fanatically burning eyes, with a frantic desire to show the world this completely unique little universe. And those who say that the film is embellished are wrong. He's beautiful. Because it is made with love for this world.
The film begins with how Nenets children are taken by helicopter to the Big Earth, where they will study at school for six months. The scene is like Schindler’s List, where Jewish children hide from the Nazis even in latrines. Little Nenets also do not want to enter the world of the white man, climb into barrels, under the skins - just so as not to leave the camp.
They don’t go back to their parents. Choosing another world. Which I call the world of superfluous things.
Because the Nenets don't have those things. His life is practical and completely dependent on the deer. Stand deer - stands in place Nenets. The herds moved, and the nomad gathers behind them. Therefore, no modern technology will replace the plague – the ideal home for nomads. When the herd is gone, the plague must be quickly collected, which means there is no place for anything superfluous. Only what is necessary for life: not to freeze, to be full. Well, a couple of white man trinkets that weigh a little and take up little space.
A man is in the tundra all day, and it is hard for me to imagine the weight of his work and, as a result, to convey it to you. But it's heavy and risky. So, all the care of the plague is on the woman. And you can live in the tundra with deer only with your wife. Which in the full sense of the word keeps the hearth. It saves an island of warmth and comfort in the middle of a fierce winter.
The mother of the main character, Alyosha, forcibly marries her son. It seems strange and wild that today, in the notorious XXI century, there are places where brides are still chosen as horses in the bazaar. Where parents marry their children's adults. But you are surprised by this, only until you understand the world of the Nenets. This is not archaic or archaic. This is a necessity.
But the main character does not want to live by this law. Since childhood, he has been in love with the girl Anya, who chose the World of Extra Things and has been living on the Big Earth for many years. Alyosha still loves her with a passion hidden in her soul. And that's just what's weird about the law of tundra life. Love for a girl who does not exist, unwillingness to marry - in the eyes of the Nenets this is almost a perversion.
It is hard to be a pervert consciously.
Nenets' life is harsh. Not because of the scarcity of life - in this regard, nomads are in a state of comfort. Just the danger of death awaits them every day - the tundra does not forgive mistakes. Ani's mother is killed by wolves. Only this makes the girl come to her native camp. True, from the delicacy of his native home - raw meat - it turns out. She can't accept her home world. And Alyosha, who waited so long for her, gets only pain. This is a paradox. In a world where love is wrong, love is akin to perversion, Alyosha has saved feeling. And Anya, who chose white culture, completely forgot about love. It seems that we, white people, love. Or maybe we are mistaken and have long loved only Extra Things. For the sake of which other grown children who came from the Big Earth, persuade their father to slaughter part of the herd for meat. “Deer are money,” they teach their father. "Deer are not money," the father replies. And you realize that there's a gulf between generations. Impenetrable wall.
The nomad's world seems to be collapsing. It is destroyed by a white man who takes away children to teach great truths. It teaches you to love money. Measure everything with money.
And the Nenets don't like money. They swap the fox skin for a bottle of vodka. Some will say, because they are stupid and wild. And I say, because they don't want to count. They take what they need to live in this world (well, vodka is necessary), and give what they ask. Because the tundra is used not to bargain, but to help each other as much as possible. You can only survive by giving yourself to other people. Today you save them, tomorrow they will save you.
The Nenets world is incredible. Where did Vladimir Tumayev get his love for him, I don't know. But it oozes off the frame. I don't see barbarism and primitiveness on the screen. I see another world perfected in accordance with the Law of Life. It's all about grandeur and beauty. Especially amazing night shooting. In the middle of the naked pancake of the snow-capped steppe there is only a Nenets. And around it is the universe. And there's nothing else. Big Earth is a phantom. The beautiful sky is a reality. You look at the nomad and you realize that all these skyscrapers, coffee shops, saunas, theaters, McDonald’s, surrounding us – this is not comfort and coziness. These are fences that close the universe from us.
In Alyosha’s story, the Law of Life wins. That doesn't make you sad. That doesn't mean he gave up. The Law of Life is the only right way. It's not wrong. Otherwise, it's impossible.