

Director: Lu Chuan
Cast: Duobuji

Among its many awards, 
The film has won the Best Film in Golden Horse Award 2004 . 
It has also received the "Don Quixote Award - Special Mention" in Berlin International Film Festival 2005 .

Well, since my OLD review has been "deleted" by the virus a year ago ... 
here is my "new" review/or "try to recall" review ... 
because I have yet to watch it again ... hee hee

My thoughts ...
-- In terms of plot, it is not very "thrilling" ... nothing much really happens in fact ... 
then why did it win so many awards ... 
there are plausibly three important reasons ...

(i) the technicalities ...
-- the cinematography ...
... the scenery and the vast weather change ... wow ... 
i.e., at a height of about 4,600 ...

-- the "harshness" of the filming condition ... 
... it may or may not be easy to tell that the filming condition is really harsh ... 
e.g., when the men ran in shorts in the water ... the temperature is excruciatingly cold ...

-- the filming style ... the fact that the line is blurred between movie and documentary and real life ... the director has chosen to make it look like a documentary, removing MANY "melodramatic" and "heart wrenching" scenes, so that it feels less manipulative ... yet, at the end of the film, one can still feel some emotions ... which is considered a rather tough feat, i.e., without dramatization ...

(ii) it has a good message about protecting the wild 
(in this case, the Tibetan antelopes)

(iii) finally, it really describes human relationship and behavior/survival very well ... the film merely depicts events as they are ... narrating them "simply" without exploitation ... without too much tears nor blood ... whether one likes it or not ... whether incidents are expected or not ... many of the incidents just happen ... without the audience preparing for it ... without warnings and without "endings" ...

e.g., most notably, i think many people will remember the scenes with the very weak old man ... what can we say ... 
i.e., * major spoiler * the one who claims he will not survive the walk/journey out ... * end of spoiler *

e.g., the opening scene ...
i.e., * major spoiler * the sudden gun shot and killing ... * end of spoiler *

e.g., near the end incidents ...
i.e., * major spoiler * the snow storm and the quick sand ... * end of spoiler *

etc

Conclusion:
Recommended. However, note that it does NOT have a very complicated nor constantly engaging plot. Instead, it has a very human story that seems more like a documentary ... because the director does not want to appear too manipulative or make it appear like a movie ... but rather depict life as it is ...