Ao: The Last Hunter (2010)

When his clan, including his wife and baby girl Néa, are massacred, Ao, a desperate Neanderthal, decides to leave the North country where he has been living for the South where he was born.... See full summary »

Director:

Jacques Malaterre

Writers:

Michel Fessler (scenario & adaptation), Philippe Isard (scenario & adaptation)

Stars:

Agie, Helmi Dridi, Ilian Ivanov

Cast

Credited cast:
Agie	...	L'ourse Blanche
Helmi Dridi	...	Aguk
Ilian Ivanov	...	Ao - à neuf ans
Nazam Karakurt	...	Homo Sapiens ( killer of AO's family ) (as Nazim Mununov)
Vesela Kazakova	...	Unak
Sara Malaterre	...	Wana - la fille d'Ao et d'Aki à quatre ans
Craig Morris	...	Boorh - un membre du clan d'Ao / Itkio
Aruna Shields	...	Aki
Simon Paul Sutton	...	Ao - un Néandertalien dont le clan a été massacré
Yavor Vesselinov	...	Aka

Storyline

When his clan, including his wife and baby girl Néa, are massacred, Ao, a desperate Neanderthal, decides to leave the North country where he has been living for the South where he was born. His aim is to join his twin brother, from whom he was separated when he was nine. On his long and adventurous way home, he meets Aki, a Homo sapiens woman.

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Plot Keywords:

nudity | body paint | topless female nudity | sex scene | side boob | 

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Genres:

Adventure | History

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Did You Know?

Trivia

With the exception of one short sequence featuring bees, only living animals appear; including the frightening white she-bear.

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Connections

Referenced in Movie Friends: Prashant Prabhakar (2013)

User Reviews

Great prehistoric trappings but why romance?

AO: THE LAST HUNTER is the latest in a line of prehistoric epics. These films seemed to originate with the cheesy back-projected movies of the 1940s before Hammer had a mini resurgence of them in the 1960s with ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. and its follow-ups. They were back in the 1980s with the likes of the influential QUEST FOR FIRE, but since then the genre has been a little quiet.

This film is French and unsurprisingly for the French it plays out as a love story for the most part. The hero is a wandering Neanderthal hunter who meets up with a woman who just so happens to be a Homo Sapien. The two fall in love, but not before the surprisingly modern plot elements play out. And that's the main problem with AO: it feels very modern in places, particularly with a modern-language voice over narration which really feels out of place, and the usual gender issues which would play out on a modern romantic comedy.

As a film, this does have a fair few strengths. The visual look is strong with fine cinematography bringing to life the snowbound terrain. The effects are strong and the look of the Neanderthals is an authentic one. There are some truly exciting moments, like the polar bear fight. It's so unfortunate, then, that most of the running time is wasted with romantic nonsense, when the director had the change to make something so much more profound.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

None French

Release Date:

29 September 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

AO - Den siste neandertalaren

Filming Locations:

Murat-le-Quaire, Puy-de-Dôme, France

Box Office

Budget:

EUR14,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,669,603

Company Credits

Production Co:

UGC YM, France 2 Cinéma, Cofinova 6

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color