dylansgabriel The documentary starts in the village of Bakhtia at the river Yenisei, in the Siberian Taiga. (The Taiga is the surrounding wilderness.) There are no roads; the only way to reach Bakhtia is by helicopter, or by boat. And even boats can only get to Bakhtia during the few ice-free months; otherwise the river is frozen over.Bakhtia has approximately 300 inhabitants, and the majority of them make their living as trappers. Most of the film focuses on these hunters. And, say the trappers spoken to, they are happy. Out of all the opportunities available to them, trapping is the best way to make a living, they explain. One gets to work and live in the beauty of the Taiga, and the only person they must answer to is themselves.The nature and landscape seen in the film is of course stunning. The documentary was filmed over the course of a year, and across the four seasons, and that is the way the film is divided (starting with spring, ending with winter).The trappers we follow are seldom in Bakhtia. There is only a small window of time in which they can hunt, but most of their work is done preparing for the hunting. And they stick to the old ways, being almost entirely self sufficient. The only two modern technologies they use are chainsaws and snowmobiles. Other than this, the men make everything themselves; their own shelter, their own traps, and they catch and prepare the majority of their own food.The men trap alone, and only have their dogs for company. "You are no hunter without a dog," one trapper says. But the companionship the men share with their canines is just a bonus, because the dogs are used practically. Actually, the dogs' presence is discussed extensively in the film. One of the most interesting things, as one man discusses, is the relationship these trappers share with the animals. He explains that some men nearly share a plate with their dog, and let the dog sleep on their cot. Himself? He makes his dog sleep outside, even when it's very cold, and he does not feed it too much. Though, he still says, there is definitely love shared between him and his dog.The film also tackles a major problem in Bakhtia: alcoholism. As one labour worker explains, most of the old ways (such as the critical role of elders) have been lost and forgotten. So now drinking is rampant, perhaps because most men only have their work (monotonous, lonesome, and tough) and nothing else.One aspect in which the documentary is lacking, is that it fails to suggest any solutions (either from the filmmakers, those filmed, or anyone else) of how to heal the problems these humane and modest people face. Seeing into Bakhtia, I was both grateful for and saddened (mostly saddened) by my Westernized life. The trappers in the film claim to be happy, but how pleasant, truly, can such a severely isolated life, killing and constantly working to survive, bring happiness? I think what is meant, is that out of the opportunities available to them, trapping is indeed the best. Happy or not, without having to answer to any government, or anyone else, these hunters really are their own makers, in the good and the bad."Happy People" is a rare, thought-provoking look into a type of life many would otherwise never be able to see. It's a solid, responsible, and progressive use of the film medium. But when it comes to deeper political issues, and discussion around them, "Happy People" misses the mark.screenplayisles.blogspot

dickmacgurn Werner Herzog brings us to the Taiga, a frosty paradise in which modern day fur trappers use both old and new technology to thrive in an expansive wilderness much larger than the U.S., often at temperatures below minus forty degrees. These trappers are expert outdoors-men / survivalists / hunters that have perfected the art of trapping sable with the help of their dogs.I learned how to make and set various types of traps, build a canoe from hand, catch pike fish from a frozen river, make homemade insect repellent, protect my food rations from bears and mice, and much, much more.I have few if any legitimate complaints about this excellent film. Herzog doesn't fail to mention the cruelty that the animals suffer, including the poor hunting dogs which often don't live long in the harsh conditions. One of the hunters admits to feeling pity for his prey, but that he prefers slaughtering sable rather than farm animals, a job he had decades before.My favorite part of the film is when one of the hunters is making his way back to base camp through dense forest on his snowmobile, a breathtakingly beautiful commute to say the least. Another was when the camera goes underneath the frozen river to show the nets catching the pike fish. On New Year's Eve the hunters return to the village via snowmobile over the frozen river, and Herzog points out that some hunters make their dogs run the entire distance in a day, an astonishing 150 kilometers, (93 miles). No wonder the dogs often live short lives, especially if the hunters push them so hard. I did also wonder how long the hunters are expected to live.As a vegan, I feel especially sad that animals suffer to bring their furs to the market, but I didn't deduct any points for it. It's an excellent look at a culture that is as unlike my own as any I could imagine. 8 stars, definitely worth a second or even 3rd viewing!

Jason Kemmery First of all, I don't want anyone to think that I don't consider this to be a film of the highest quality. It was extremely informative, and overall quite entertaining and well made. My quibble with it is this: not one single person portrayed in the film fit anything that I would consider to be a description of "Happy". In fact, most of them seemed downright somber if not dour the whole time. Perhaps the film makers got the sense that the people who lived in this remote Siberian village were, in fact, quite happy people while they were there making this (extremely well made) film, but that sense of happiness was not conveyed to the watcher. Their lives seemed dismal and harsh at best, and none of them had an attitude about life that reflected anything different than that they lived a dismal life in a harsh and unforgiving world. While it is a look at the way people probably lived several hundred years ago (minus the snowmobiles and chainsaws), I for one do not envy them in the least. I'm sure it can be terribly exciting to encounter dangerous wild animals and harsh unforgiving elements in the wilderness, but without ANY real modern amenities, the lives led by the people in this movie have to be without a doubt what most of us would consider to be mind- numbingly boring. Not to mention lonesome. Months in the wilderness trapping small fur-bearing animals with only the company of a dog or two, does not seem like the making of a "happy" life to me. I was expecting some sense of enlightenment to come across in the film as to why people who live in such bleak and harsh conditions would be in some way happier than the rest of us, but that never came. If you are expecting that sort of enlightenment, then you may be disappointed. However, the film does indeed prove to be quite engaging and entertaining, portraying the inhabitants of this region of Siberia as hard-working, industrious and without a doubt some of the toughest people left on earth. Your deer hunting, Cabella's swag wearing neighbor (or uncle, or cousin ...) only wishes he could be a fraction of the outdoors-man these rugged Russians are. It's likely that if a guy like that were to trade places with one of the trappers in the movie for even a single day, he would not make it through that day alive. It's a film worth watching, but I'm just wondering how on earth the film makers could describe these as "Happy People".

SpiritFilms If you like Werner Herzog then this film won't disappoint. His style is simple, honest and transparent. He gives you a clear sense of the reality of what most people would perceive to be a harsh way of life in the Russian Taiga. We see humans who are connected to the cycles of nature, to the animals, the forest and to their traditions. There is a quiet wisdom and deep joy in this way of life and the film serves as a powerful contrast to virtually every other piece of media being made today. The film is like poem to a way of life that now seems like a distant dream. It is beautifully shot, with vignettes that look like they are living paintings; Russian characters from the time of Tolstoy or Dostoyevesky.