Diagonaldi Very well executed

Steineded How sad is this?

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

SnoopyStyle It's 1967, the second year of the Cultural Revolution. Beijing students Chen Zhen and Yang Ke volunteer for work in Inner Mongolia. They are tasked by dictatorial bureaucrat director Bao Shungui to teach Mandarin to the local tribe. Bilig is the respected tribal leader and Gasma is intrigued with Chen Zhen. The tribesmen herd sheep and live next to wolves which hunt gazelles. The tribe takes some the hunted gazelles which are stored by the wolves in the frozen ground. Bao Shungui returns to take the rest. He leads an effort to root out the underground dens and kill the pups. Chen Zhen ignores tradition and keeps one pup alive. Bao Shungui dismisses the local traditional ways and tries to force modernization.This has the vast grassland and wildlife. There are nice vistas. The story is something like "Dances with Wolves". It tries for an environmental native story but there are a couple of clunky situations that don't exactly fit. The local tribe is more in tune with the environment but they aren't always easy on it. The lead character Chen Zhen is desperately trying to save the wolf pup but it's not really a good idea. The story does not always work but it works enough.

kosmasp I have to admit, when I saw the cover I thought this was going to be a documentary. But it's a feature length film and it is a very well shot one. It's about nature, it's about humans and it's about wild life. Especially in the region depicted as someone else already stated well in their commentary to the film here on IMDb.This will not be everyones cup of tea, but if you like nature movies with a dramatic twist, you probably will like this too. You can't compare it to Revenant, which is something I kind of expected to find here, but fortunately that wasn't the case. The movie really brings the animals to life, framing them in a way and shooting them to make them not only characters but someone to root for and feel for too. If you are an animal friend, I don't even need to be telling you this. If not, you might not be as moved as others ...

martys-7 Moving and visually stunning autobiographical film involving Mongolians shepherds and wolves, both groups affected by encroaching settlements and bureaucratic regulations enforced by the Communist Party overseers, during the Cultural Revolution in China in the late 1960s. A Beijing university student is sent to live with nomadic shepherds and learns their ways, including their interaction which wolves, which has a spiritual significance to them. When the ecological balance is altered by human greed, there are fatal consequences for both humans and animals.While the photography captures the rugged majesty of the steppes in all its beauty and the action sequences are thrilling, this man versus nature drama portraits its characters with veracity never resorting to superhuman heroics or histrionics. Life is frail for both humans and wolves in their struggle for survival, wolves are not anthropomorphized, the Mongolian lifestyle is not romanticized, there are no easy solutions.Perfectly acted with flawless cinematography, this a must-see films for nature lovers and those who are concerned about the environment. The rest of the viewers should also be rewarded by this poignant and compelling real life story.

Daniel Anderson It saddens me that this film will not receive a wider audience. With an English title of "Wolf Totem" very few outside of France or China will be tempted to see it, but it is their loss.Wolf Totem manages to bring to the big screen the majesty and mystery of wolves. But it is much more than a National Geographic or Animal Planet documentary. (Although those in themselves would be a great success.) It also invites us into the world of Inner Mongolia and tells a compelling tale of human love and loss. This is not Le Renard et L'infant (The Fox and the Child). It succeeds in telling a much grander tale. The acting is all very believable and unlike the usual over-the-top soap opera-esque fare available in most Chinese cinema.But come for the wolves. I could howl their praises all night long.