The Eagle Huntress

A feel-good ethnographical "documentary" that is obviously heavily staged, like a modern "Nanook of the North". The cultural aspects are highly enjoyable (despite the pathetic decision to use Sia for the soundtrack instead of Kazakh music), Aisholpan is extremely sympathetic and moving, and it's a great movie for children. As an adult I am sure I would have liked something less slick, less simplistic and less didactic.

Aisholpan, a 13-year-old Mongolian girl, sets out to defy tradition and continue her family's and her people's legacy of training and using golden eagles for show and hunting. An excellent documentary for families, with some superb sequences, especially Aisholpan securing her eagle from its mother's nest. More analytical viewers may note the clear selective editing and regret that some of the more compelling aspects of the story (like the actual training) are glossed over. Still, fairly lovely.

Barring the gorgeous shots of eagles and the breathtaking scenery of Western Mongolia, this hybrid documentary achieves nothing: bland story (yes she'll win the contest, yes she'll catch the fox), no acting, naturally, and no unexpected documentary moments. Be absolutely sure that feminism will rear its ugly head where its neither warranted nor needed. The disputes following the release proved that Aisholpan was nowhere near the first female eagle huntress make the drivel even more tiresome.

I really love the story and the people and animals involved. It's got some truly exciting moments, including the comptetition that Aisholpan takes part in and the hunt taking place in the mountains during the winter. It was shot in a way that made it obvious that these shots have been arranged in a specific way, and that's something that always takes you away from the story itself. That song choice was horrible, too.

The story is interesting but Ridley's cutglass-accented narration jolted me out of place and undercut any attempt at immersion, as well as moving the film into 'tell' rather than 'show' territory. It's also hard to believe that the film crew showed up just in time to cover Aisholpan's journey from almost complete novice to Golden Eagle winner. Full marks, however, for including the eagle-hunting equivalent of the "but can he do it on a wet Wednesday night in Stoke" school of champion-doubting.

Its is a hybrid documentary. Its already setted, planned and staged by director So its not natural or impactfull as a real time documentary thats right. But still beautifuly filmed, had so many hidden detail about society and culture and very heart warming story.

This joins the long list of great "hybrid" documentaries. It's pretty obvious that the director has a story and vision in mind and will tweak things to make it work and I'm okay with that under curtain circumstances. The movie was exactly what I wanted, it was uplifting, beautiful and sweet with lots of great scenery and glimpses of a different culture and it's way of life all without becoming preachy... [Full review]

Stunning Mongolian nature! But for me The Eagle Huntress (2016) doesn't connect because they can't decide between making this fiction or as a documentary. The hybrid doesn't really work. But enjoy the scenery!

A remarkable documentary about a remarkable girl. The amount of quality footage taken among the eagle-herding tribe is astounding, it feels like at least a year's high-risk, low-reward work by the film-makers. The unswerving determination of the story actually makes the narrative strangely unpredictable and very dramatic. One does wonder, "what are the odds?" ...of picking out the exact winning girl so far ahead of time. But the splendour and character on show easily lets one overlook that fact.

There's a spirit that soars in German filmmaker Otto Bell's first feature documentary, The Eagle Huntress, which tells the story of 13-year-old Aisholpan Nurgaiv and her quest to break through a centuries-old gender barrier.