‘The Eagle Huntress,’ documentary about Mongolian girl who became a pioneer, will have audiences soaring: movie review
By Ariel Scotti, New York Daily News October 31, 2016 12:25 PM
The Eagle Huntress’ follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter. (Asher Svidensky)
It may seem easier to scale one of the steep, snowy peaks of the Altai Mountains of Mongolia than surmount centuries worth of traditional gender roles in the region.
But 13-year-old Aisholpan, the cherub-faced star of the documentary, "The Eagle Huntress," did just that.
Eagle hunting is an ancient tradition of the Kazakh tribesmen, handed down from father to son for generations. When young eaglets are roughly three months old, there is a short, ever-closing window of opportunity where they are both able to survive away from their mother and also unable yet to fly.
In the documentary narrated by “Star Wars” star Daisy Ridley, Aisholpan's father, Nurgaiv, explains that this is when they'll try to pluck one from its nest to train as their own to hunt foxes and rabbits for skins and meat. He sees his daughter's ambition as naturally "in her blood" because he and his father are both hunters themselves.
The Otto Bell-directed documentary features sweeping views and a captivating subject. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
This time, Aisholpan will train it.
Director Otto Bell flies his audience alongside Aisholpan as she elegantly descends the dizzying face of a cliff; calling up to her father when she needs more slack from the rope supporting her weight.
Bell swoops his spectators across vast, snow-covered valleys and beside birds in flight, a hawks' eye view of the terrain below and the handler in front. The film uses contemporary technology such as drones to capture a way of life devoid of the modern conveniences of the West.
The Eagle Huntress
Primordial too are the opinions and attitudes of the curmudgeonly elder eagle hunters who refuse to accept Aisholpan into their exclusive club. To a man the interview subjects say that she "should be making tea" and that "women get cold" in temperatures reaching 40 below. The eagles' vision is obscured by a head covering during their training but it's this group of elders who seem most blind. But Aisholpan is full of dreams and determination. Her parents support her goals and encourage her to work hard and go after what she wants. She enters the golden Eagle Festival to compete against grown men with her beloved bird and supportive father by her side.
"The Eagle Huntress" is all at once an inspiring story for children of all ages to believe that they can do anything, a reflection of the unfairness of gender roles and a rare and unique look at a remote part of the world. It's a worthwhile film for both children and adults and especially those who would try to clip the wings of a young girl with big dreams.
