Happy People: A Year in the Taiga

Ever since making the shift to master documentarian, Werner Herzog has managed to solidify himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of not only the 20th century but now the 21st century as well. With such poignant visionary masterpieces such as "Grizzly Man", "Cave of Forgotten Dreams", and "Into the Abyss", Herzog has created a unique vision all his own.

The Herzogian (patent pending) style of documentary is at times riddled with hard truths yet also grounded in a sense of reality that is universally relatable. "Happy People: A Year in the Taiga" is classic Herzog through and through. Similarly to "Encounters at the End of the World", "Happy People" is part nature doc and part social commentary. Taking place in a desolate region of Siberia known as the "Taiga", the film depicts the year in the life of a trapper. Notably one of the most rugged and time intensive career choices, trapping is also a timeless tradition that has gone relatively unchanged for hundreds of years. The men featured in the documentary are utilizing the same techniques, tools, and tricks of the trade that their ancient ancestors used.

Stepping onto the frozen tundra of the Taiga is like stepping into a time warp. In a world where Bear Grylls and "Doomsday Preppers" help shape our collective perspective on what it means to survive under extreme circumstances, the men of the Taiga are genuine bona fide survivalists. Their preparations are a year-round endeavor and they are not influenced by cameras and TV ratings. Trapping is not only their way of life but it's also their means of survival and family support as well. By following these men for an entire year, we are gifted with an insight that few have come to know.

Between setting the traps, training the dogs, forging for food, and building a shelter these woodsmen have come to perfect a trade that is innately all their own. Unfortunately, due to rising inflation rates and a litany of other economic setbacks trapping has become a high-risk low reward career option. As is made evident throughout the film, some are cut out for the work and some are merely broken by it. There is one scene in particular that follows a group of nomadic Mongolians who have recently lost their shelter to a fire. When asked about their current means of survival it is made transparently clear that they are merely a group of drunk scavengers forging for food and squandering every penny they make on vodka.

Despite the notion that the Siberian livelihood is a desolate and lonely one, there are several instances of well-knit community and long-standing pride exhibited throughout the documentary. Everything from the hunting dogs and their delicate give-and-take relationship with their owner, to the myriad of obstacles that stand in the way of a hard-earned paycheck, the film is a well-rounded view of a disappearing lifestyle. It is clear that Herzog admires a DIY aesthetic, and through his time spent with the people of Taiga this admiration is worn on the film's proverbial sleeve. "Happy People" is a portrayal of man's place in this world witnessed through a raw and organic lense that only Herzog could cultivate and procure accurately.

In a style that only Herzog could elicit, "Happy People" documents what it means to embrace tradition in a world where honoring the past is slowly going the way of the buffalo...or in this case the way of the Siberian trapper.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1pOjj49d9Y]