Judy and I loved this magnificent documentary about 13-year-old Aisholpan (ASH-ol-pan), the first female Kazakh eagle hunter in her remote region of Mongolia. Eagle hunting--domesticating the birds and training them to kill smaller animals and lead their masters to their vanquished prey so that families may be fed and clothed--is a tradition there that for thousands of years has been passed down from fathers to sons. But Aisholpan, a girly girl who likes wardrobe and wears ribbons in her hair, also loves animals and is a natural at the craft. Her beaming smile and grunt of pleasure when she succeeds are but two of her endearing qualities. And her father Agalai has supported her throughout, even though she has an eight-year-old brother and, according to one article, an elder brother (not seen in the movie). Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens) provides the English voice over narration.
Director Otto Bell, a commercial documentarian, read about Aisholpan on the BBC website, and decided he wanted to make this movie. He got in touch with Agalai and began shooting the pair almost immediately (with a cameraman named Chris Raymond--I don't know who he is because there are several by that name on imdb--uncredited in any case). Morgan Spurlock (POM Wonderful Presents: the Greatest Movie Ever Sold) got involved as a producer and they were on their way. If you want to read more, I gathered info from this article and this video.
Not only is there lots of plot (I could imagine someone remaking it into a drama) during the two or so years that elapse, but the cinematography is breathtaking--every bit as good as the spectacular Disneynature series (last year's was Monkey Kingdom), and that's saying a lot. Director of photography Simon Niblett has quite a few credits shooting documentaries of the natural world and it shows. Here's a featurette about the cinematography. However, Bell said that in key scenes they got only one take, so "everybody who could hold a camera was holding a camera," including go-pros, DSLRs, etc., so kudos to editor Pierre Takal, too.
I also loved the music by Jeff Peters (new to me) but can't find it online. I could find, however, the original song Angel by the Wings, performed by Sia and written by her and Greg Kurstin, which plays over the end credits, along with still photos from the movie.
On many short lists for an Oscar (and beginning to get nominations and wins, including some on my list), this has earned an average rating of 84% from critics and 93% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Strongly recommended for anyone of any age who can read some subtitles and won't freak out at seeing animals killed, skinned, and eaten.
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