Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2013)
85%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win
Filled with breathtaking images of the foreboding Siberian countryside, Happy People: A Year in the Taiga is a fascinating look at an isolated society
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga” is a documentary that follows the lives of Siberian fur trappers. Critics seem to be divided on whether or not the film is interesting, but one thing is for sure – it’s a minor addition to Werner Herzog’s canon. However, if you’re interested in seeing how people can still live off the land and co-exist with nature, this film is for you. Plus, who doesn’t love a good dose of Herzog’s golden touch? Just don’t expect any catastrophic tragedies or a clear story arc. It’s more about the raw view of lives spurning modern comforts with a vengeance. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the lyrical and poetic winter landscape of Siberia.
Production Company(ies)
First Thought Films,
Distributor
Music Box Films
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Bakhta Village, Siberia, Russia
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 34m
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Language(s):English, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2013 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 23, 2013
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, Happy People: A Year in the Taiga, Siberian Taiga, indigenous people, river Yenisei, isolated society, breathtaking images, foreboding Siberian countryside, harsh nature, pure heart, snowbound Siberian fur trappers, remote Siberian Taiga, boat or helicopter, simplicity, assuredness, profound insight, stunning visuals, surreal, foreign, engaging, narration, dialogues, astonishing shots, human stories, pure human, living off the land, trappers, boat makers, fishermen, hunters, WWII hero, free, no law, no telephones, no computers, different way of life, grand pretentiousness, underlying human themes, slow, uneventful business, peek into a different way of life directed by Dmitry Vasyukov, written by Rudolph Herzog and Werner Herzog, executive produced by Klaus Badelt, Timur Bekmambetov, Werner Herzog, starring indigenous people of Siberian Taiga Reviewed by Tom Long, Joe Williams, Marjorie Baumgarten, Barbara VanDenburgh, Sam Adams, Brian Tallerico, David Harris, Mattie Lucas, Bernard Boo, Kelly Jane Torrance, Brandon Judell, Rob Thomas Box Office (Gross USA): $337.5K, MPAA rating: NR, produced by Music Box Films
Worldwide gross: $338,987
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $437,030
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,768
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 47,659
US/Canada gross: $338,987
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $437,030
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,359
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,481
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $13,512
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,629
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Rudolph Herzog – Screenwriter
Werner Herzog – Screenwriter, Executive Producer
Klaus Badelt – Executive Producer
Timur Bekmambetov – Executive Producer
Director(s)
Dmitry Vasyukov
Writer(s)
Rudolph Herzog, Werner Herzog
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Tribeca, Telluride
Awards & Nominations
1 win
Academy Awards
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (6)
“Happy People” seems to strain toward the notion that harsh nature makes for a pure heart. And perhaps it does for some. But all?
March 15, 2013 | Rating: C
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
Titling a documentary about snowbound Siberian fur trappers “Happy People” is not as ironic as it seems.
March 7, 2013
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
It’s not that Happy People is uninteresting… It’s just that the one sensibility of which we were previously aware — that of Herzog’s — is indiscernible, as if frozen beneath all this movie’s ice.
February 28, 2013 | Rating: 3/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Herzog’s longing for the ideological purity in which these lives are lived, free of paperwork and bureaucracy, taxes and technology, drives the film, which lacks an overall story arc.
February 28, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Barbara VanDenburgh
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Unmistakably part of the director’s canon, and just as unmistakably a minor addition to it.
February 23, 2013 | Rating: B-
Sam Adams
Philadelphia City Paper
TOP CRITIC
It’s a minor film from a major director but it’s still a strong one for those interested in its subject matter – how people can still co-exist with and live off the land instead of ignoring or abusing it.
February 22, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/5.0
Brian Tallerico
HollywoodChicago.com
TOP CRITIC
Although Happy People feels cobbled together, Herzog and Vasyukov do provide us with some pretty astounding images.
November 19, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
Puts things in perspective, offering a welcome respite from a world of hustle and bustle that has become all too superficial.
August 6, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Herzog lends the golden touch that is his voice to the film, making the grueling, harsh winter landscape lyrical and poetic.
April 12, 2019 | Rating: 8.7/10
Bernard Boo
Way Too Indie
Every documentary could use the Werner Herzog touch.
December 14, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Examiner
Cut down from a four-hour documentary by Vasyukov, the result is a film lacking in catastrophic tragedies of any sort that holds you nonetheless with its raw view of lives spurning quotidian modern comforts with a vengeance.
March 23, 2013
Brandon Judell
CultureCatch
In a very real sense, we are watching Herzog watch this film, his rapturous reaction illuminating as much about himself as his subjects.
March 7, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)…
Plot
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga is a documentary about the indigenous people living in a village on the river Yenisei in Siberia, showcasing their way of life and how they coexist with and live off the land.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no specific tidbit about someone in the cast mentioned in the Fresh Kernels description of Happy People: A Year in the Taiga.
Dmitry-Vasyukov.jpg
