Happy People: A Year in the Taiga

Coming soon to the History Channel…Ok, probably not, but the people filmed in this riveting documentary from directors Werner Herzog and Dmitry Vasyukov are far more interesting to watch – and learn from – than all the talent-challenged loggers, fishermen, miners, moonshiners  and duck hunters on the cable station combined. And they’re real, too. The people in question are the indigenous people living in Bakhtia, the heart of the Siberian Taiga, a culture that hasn’t changed much in centuries and, quite frankly as the movie proves, are better off because of it. The film takes the time to unfold at the pace of the people it is portraying, no small feat given the rural locations and lack of ‘progress’ the villagers have seen, so it may take viewers a bit of  time to get used to the way the directors tell the story. Having Herzog act as narrator helps a lot.