this documentary did portray a Mongolian family living their life and performing their everyday duties, however, the film seemed to have been "polished" to a degree where the viewers were presented not exactly with the 'real' thing, but a carefully staged and choreographed lifestyle. it was an interesting take on the nomadic culture, but a bit overly commercialised, for my taste. as i am a Mongolian, i could testify that the subtitles did not include big parts from what was actually being said. instead, it concentrated more on the lines that support the general 'plotline', which was a major let down, i would assume. and you can really see the agenda behind the film, which is to make Mongolia a very attractive destination for travel. it does portray a "cute" family living happily, so remote from civilization, thus very much 'attractive'. i guess it must seem to people like a relief in times of "farenheit 9/11" and "the corporation", but i'm upset with this representation for its fakeness and blunt 'cuteness'. the ritual performed is a very old one, and i'm sure it's very much related to the ancient shamanistic religion of the Mongols. in overall, was OK to watch once. (at least we're finally making films that get distributed worldwide)
