Customer Reviews

Being Caribou

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having read the book, I was curious to see the movie that had been made at the same time. I would recommend that interested people look at both.

The movie doesn't capture the sense of exhaustion and long travel that the book does, but it shows the heartbreaking beauty of the landscape and the wildlife. One element not mentioned in the book is the little toy George Bush who rides along on the trip, his plastic eyes appearing to consider what he sees.

In the end, I don't think anything said in the book or shown in the film has any chance to override the wishes of people who have no values other than power and profit. If nothing else, though, the film provides stunning visual documentation of a place that may soon be damaged or even wiped out entirely.

This movie was featured at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Murphys, CA. What a wonderful way of showing the American Public how Caribou survive in such a harsh eviroment. A married couple follows Caribou herds for approx 150 consecutive days to find out how they live and travel. The movie shows the place where the calves are born and how sensitive a time this is for the mothers and calves. The place where they give birth happens to be where the Bush Administration wants to drill and extract oil. It could be considered a political movie, but really it's a wonderful nature film.

Unfortunately, the 1002 Lands at the northwest corner of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge don't have this protection from possible oil drilling, in an area estimated to have oil reserves equal to less than six months of current needs.

More unfortunately, the Porcupine caribou herd doesn't recognize that it is in potential huge danger by coming here to calve every year, as the cows have for time immemorial from this large herd.

Husband-and-wife Heuer and Allison gave themselves a belated honeymoon -- follow the herd from its winter grounds to calving area and back, all while documenting it.

Heuer has worked in national parks programs in Canada and South Africa and already done yeoman environmental work by hiking the entire Yellowstone-to-Yukon or Y2Y corridor to popularize the need for extended wildlife area protections for large mammals.

The humor? The movie starts with clips of George H.W. Bush, followed by George W. Bush, both saying that they can't see the need for caribou protection.

So, Heuer packs a "W" doll with him for the entire journey, so he can see just why the herd needs its calving grounds protected.

An incredible journey through rugged land, fighting off cold and variety of incredibly ferocious flying insects, this is a fantastic wildlife effort.

Pair it with Heuer's book of the same name, and you'll fall in love with the herd too.

A newly married couple sets out alone on skiis to follow the Porcupine caribou herd on its annual migration across Canada to birthing grounds in northern Alaska. As they travel, they try to survive and keep up with the herd, all while taking a movie of the trip. Sounds like fiction, but it's not. The fact that one of them is a movie maker helped. But even so...what an adventure. The movie is intentionally informal, almost like a home movie. Anyone hoping for a car chase or conflagration of skyscrapers amid shooting bullets will be disappointed. This is the caribou's movie, the Arctic's movie, the mountains' movie, and a testament to the fact that at least two among us have guts and imagination.

I was visiting Burke Museum at the U. of Washington in Seattle and serendipitously came upon a projection of Being Caribou on a large screen in the museum. I couldn't tear myself away and watched the whole thing. As soon as I got home I ordered a copy through the National Film Board of Canada and started passing my copy around to friends - and it has never comer back!
This is not just an ANMR issue, this is a heads-up about environmentalism, ecology, conservation and anthropocentricity. My reaction was - and is - that homo sapiens americansis is the ultimate invasive species.
Don't miss this adventure.

Robert W. Christie, M.D.

Others have commented on the pros and cons and the jest of the story, but technical aspects were not mentioned. Picture is very clear and sharp, for the most part. No menu however, and no chapters or scene selection; also no way to turn off the subscripts. This applies to the 2004 release; the newer release may have added these?

Overall, I did enjoy the film. Very informative, including some maps. There is a lot of very good photography and this is a true adventure, if a bit slow. Certainly could have done without the butt shot when Karsten bathes in the lake.

I support their politics too - we need an energy plan that doesn't depend so much on oil (but I find Obama's push for nuclear power unsettling - let's push for renewable energy, like wind and solar). The 'W' doll was a bit distracting but seeing Bush's negative remarks about the refuge, I can empathize with Karsten's decision to include it.

the film is chalk full of eye-popping wildlife and landscape imagery! i felt like a visitor on another planet - a harsh planet that, as a lifelong californian, i'd have trouble appreciating in person - but loved touring through the eyes and ears of leanne and karsten. a home grown production approach brought the stunning visuals into even sharper contrast. this is definitely not a hollywood movie

otherwise, the tone was a bit moralistic, and generally talky. the wildlife and landscape imagery speak deeply, and words feel pretty flat and distracting in comparison. a lot of the real-time narration could be replaced with music (a la Winged Migration) or filled with silence? the pro-caribou politics was funny at first, but felt extraneous by the end

overall, i really appreciate leanne and karsten making this film - and i recommend it to anyone interested in caribou or their arctic habitat

The documentary about nature and the subject at hand is wonderfully done; the reason for 3 stars rather than 5 is because of the stupid "W" doll. I would have left the initial Bush comments but I would not have constantly panned to the "W" doll. I would have kept the caribou migration and the couple's joys and hardships pure rather than intermix the political emotions emanating from the doll. It was distracting from the beauty of it all.