The trilogy that started off with an experimental documentary continues with a brilliant film that captures the life and death of Bassar, a stray dog. Shot gorgeously in the arid but harshly romantic Mongolia, this one was an awesome watch. I am tempted to draw parallels with Au Hasard Balthazar, which is one of my most favorite movies, from the perspective as how the movie becomes not so much about Balthazar or Bassar, but much more about the people around them, in this case the country around Bassar too. A very important phase of Mongolian history is captured, when the Soviets left their country and democracy was declared, through the memories and musings of Bassar's spirit. As the first part, this one too is structured around a fable, and does a fluent job is combining the fable with the history and culture of Mongolia. The film ends with a superb performance by an acrobatic Mongol child dancer, which was shot with breathtaking beauty. Overall, a great film on the intriguing Mongolia and oh, I almost forgot, the starting sequence is marvelous and crackling with a strange energy that sets the right tone for the movie.
4 Reviews
An exotic film from an exotic filmcountry
frankde-jong6 February 2024
Reason to watch "State of dogs" was the film "Kedi" (2016, Ceyda Torun). "Kedi" is about the straycats of Istanbul. "State of dogs" is about the straydogs of Ulaanbaatar.
The people of Istanbul are friendly for their straycats. The people of Ulaanbaatar are not so friendly for their straydogs, throwing stones at them and having a municipal dog hunter who shoots them.
"State of dogs" tells the story of the dog Baasar in a big flash back after he is shot by the minicipal dog hunter. It also tells the story of a pregnant woman. The two stories are connected by the Mongolian belief that dogs reincarnate as men after their death. This belief makes the bad behaviour of people against dogs somewhat hard te understand.
Apart from the reincarnation belief the film has also another religious element in the form of the mythical dragon Rah that swallows the sun. This element is connected with the story of a solar eclipse.
It is not always very clear what the directors are trying to say with all this symbolism. On top of this a poet recites a poem at various points in the film, adding to the rather loose structure of the film. The guttural sounds of the Mongolian language do however give the film an exotic flavor.
I suppose it is this exotic flavor that contributed a lot to the critical reception of the movie, which was on average positive. After all you do not see a Mongolian movie every day. "Urga" (1991, Nikita Mikhalkov) is about Mongolia (Urga was the former name of Ulaanbaatar), but is made by a Russian director. By the way in "State of dogs" Ulaanbaatar is portrayed as a rather desolate city surrounded by endless steppes.
The people of Istanbul are friendly for their straycats. The people of Ulaanbaatar are not so friendly for their straydogs, throwing stones at them and having a municipal dog hunter who shoots them.
"State of dogs" tells the story of the dog Baasar in a big flash back after he is shot by the minicipal dog hunter. It also tells the story of a pregnant woman. The two stories are connected by the Mongolian belief that dogs reincarnate as men after their death. This belief makes the bad behaviour of people against dogs somewhat hard te understand.
Apart from the reincarnation belief the film has also another religious element in the form of the mythical dragon Rah that swallows the sun. This element is connected with the story of a solar eclipse.
It is not always very clear what the directors are trying to say with all this symbolism. On top of this a poet recites a poem at various points in the film, adding to the rather loose structure of the film. The guttural sounds of the Mongolian language do however give the film an exotic flavor.
I suppose it is this exotic flavor that contributed a lot to the critical reception of the movie, which was on average positive. After all you do not see a Mongolian movie every day. "Urga" (1991, Nikita Mikhalkov) is about Mongolia (Urga was the former name of Ulaanbaatar), but is made by a Russian director. By the way in "State of dogs" Ulaanbaatar is portrayed as a rather desolate city surrounded by endless steppes.
Awesome filming. Sort of a surrealistic feel to it.
[ruckle]3 November 2000
The movie is one of the best looking ones i'we ever seen. Some of the scenes in here take your breath away. The story is about a dog that dies and its spirit wanders to find its owner. But the story isn't very important here (at least to me it wasn't). It's sort of a picture collection of Mongolia. Lot's of great scenes with a surrealistic feel. Add some very good sound/music and there you have it.
I loved it. But don't watch it if you want something to cheer you up. They haven't exactly picked the nicest places. Almost everything looks deteriorated and polluted. Enjoy!
I loved it. But don't watch it if you want something to cheer you up. They haven't exactly picked the nicest places. Almost everything looks deteriorated and polluted. Enjoy!
Original but Boring Memories of a Dog
claudio_carvalho28 March 2010
In Ulan Bator, Mongolia, the cur Baatar is shot by a hunter hired by the authorities to get rid off the dogs in the city. Its soul recalls its life, when it was a shepherd dog of a family and was abandoned in the field and walked to the city. Then it recalls when it meets a young woman that is near to have a baby.
The surrealistic "State of Dogs" is an original movie that shows a sightseeing of the poor capital of Mongolia through the memories of a dog. However, the narrative is boring and there are many disconnected scenes that might make sense to believers of reincarnation. This movie was released in Brazil on VHS by Cult Films Distributor. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "O Estado do Cão" ("The State of the Dog")
Note: On 24 November 2013 I saw this movie again and I found it very boring. My vote this time is two.
The surrealistic "State of Dogs" is an original movie that shows a sightseeing of the poor capital of Mongolia through the memories of a dog. However, the narrative is boring and there are many disconnected scenes that might make sense to believers of reincarnation. This movie was released in Brazil on VHS by Cult Films Distributor. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "O Estado do Cão" ("The State of the Dog")
Note: On 24 November 2013 I saw this movie again and I found it very boring. My vote this time is two.
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