I have recently seen my first 2 Werner Herzog documentaries, Into the Abyss and Grizzly Man and I loved both of them and so came to Happy People with high hopes. It was a bit of a let-down.
Firstly, most people seem to give Herzog all the credit here yet he did not go out to Siberia to film any of his 'own' documentary. Whilst he shares directorial credit, Dmitry Vasyukov did all the beautiful camera-work and put in the hard days living in those conditions, so he must get the lion's share of the plaudits.
Secondly, the film purports to be aboutthe lives of the villagers yet the vast majority of the film concerns one trapper. The film follows him and his dogs around as he goes about his life hunting animals in the wild. We learn next to nothing about the lives of the women or children in the village, and there are only sporadic moments featuring other menfolk. It felt as if the film was about this one hunter and the rest of the people in it were just context for his life.
Thirdly, where are the 'happy people' the title refers to? I didn't see any particularly happy people in the film. I think the principle behind the film was to give the impression that people who lead simpler, remote lives are happier than the rest of us, but i saw no evidence of this whatsoever. The men who were shown collecting logs, who referred to their universal alcohol problems, looked particularly UNhappy. These people lead very difficult lives in extreme conditions. I'm not saying they were going around looking miserable, but they certainly weren't jumping for joy at their wonderful lives. It seems a bizarre title for the film.
Finally, I like to learn from documentaries but I also like to be entertained and I found this film just a bit boring. This is not to say there are no good points ... there are scores of beautiful nature shots and it is an interesting look into a completely different way of life. That was not enough for me to make it a recommendation.
Firstly, most people seem to give Herzog all the credit here yet he did not go out to Siberia to film any of his 'own' documentary. Whilst he shares directorial credit, Dmitry Vasyukov did all the beautiful camera-work and put in the hard days living in those conditions, so he must get the lion's share of the plaudits.
Secondly, the film purports to be aboutthe lives of the villagers yet the vast majority of the film concerns one trapper. The film follows him and his dogs around as he goes about his life hunting animals in the wild. We learn next to nothing about the lives of the women or children in the village, and there are only sporadic moments featuring other menfolk. It felt as if the film was about this one hunter and the rest of the people in it were just context for his life.
Thirdly, where are the 'happy people' the title refers to? I didn't see any particularly happy people in the film. I think the principle behind the film was to give the impression that people who lead simpler, remote lives are happier than the rest of us, but i saw no evidence of this whatsoever. The men who were shown collecting logs, who referred to their universal alcohol problems, looked particularly UNhappy. These people lead very difficult lives in extreme conditions. I'm not saying they were going around looking miserable, but they certainly weren't jumping for joy at their wonderful lives. It seems a bizarre title for the film.
Finally, I like to learn from documentaries but I also like to be entertained and I found this film just a bit boring. This is not to say there are no good points ... there are scores of beautiful nature shots and it is an interesting look into a completely different way of life. That was not enough for me to make it a recommendation.