HCFF 2019 Documentary Film Review “Les Maitres Silencieux (The Silent Masters)”
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First, the Recap:
Do we not believe we all, in some form, have a “wild” side? While human behavior is mainly gauged on the literal outward appearances and eccentricities that make us the individuals we are, there always seems to be a lingering, though mostly hidden, sense that we all inherit some kind of animalistic nature. Not, we hope, that would manifest with vicious, uncontrolled bestial actions against anyone, but more that longing that resonates in our souls to gain what it is to be uninhibited and free, taking in the natural beauty around us, able to run through the forest or fly across the skies with no worries to speak of other than our own perception of who we were created to be originally, almost a Garden of Eden experience.
The pristine splendor of a mist-shrouded lake on a sun-drenched morning beckons the perspective of two decidedly different faces of life–a wolf and a young woman named Cindy. While the wolf howls to the pack, echoing through the vast, open mountainsides and fields, hunting, sniffing, seeking shelter, and taking in its territory, Cindy dreams of animals, possessing an appreciation of the natural world and life itself, even as she learns the art of bowhunting from her mentor Franck and engages in a job involving taxidermy. She’s reminded of her own insecurities and fears, hence learning about stance, position, steadiness, tracking, patience, persistence, and humbling defeat, all in search of who she is, seeking that which lies dormant within.
Next, my Mind:
It’s the search for ourselves and being able to discover the balance of mortal life and obligations with a more primal one that permeates this slow-burn, quietly philosophical documentary feature film from writer/director/cinematographer/editor Nais Van Laer, shown at the 2019 High Coast Film Festival sponsored by and/or in association with Illambra, Kramfors Kommun, Film Vasternorrland, Europeiska Unionen, Region Vasternorrland, Lansstyrelsen Vasternorrland, and NBV. It is one of the most unique efforts of the genre this critic has seen over the years, deeply creative, purposefully vague yet loudly profound in its visual exploration of the concept of nature and humanity colliding, portrayed through an undeniably unconventional tale entailing seeing events unfold from two completely different viewpoints, sets of eyes, experience of surroundings, encounters with creation, and the melding of society and the wild. For both primary parties involved, wolf and Cindy, its a journey through the seasons, figuratively and literally as well, watching as each goes about their given tasks and daily lives, intermixing with others or otherwise being very much alone, while ultimately having their run-ins with each other’s realities, followed by the longing to return to what they know best and feel most at home around. But, this more so for Cindy seems like the underlying inner fight she faces, for while she strives to find that connection with Franck through everything he’s taught her about hunting, one cannot help but feel like she still feels somehow empty, therefore looking to simply try and figure out exactly who she is in the scheme of life and what she most gravitates towards that bring her some notion of peace.
I feel, like many documentaries, that it is a transparency being displayed in the people highlighted here that makes the effort very much worth bearing with, as this critic did have certain, totally random moments where the pacing felt a little sluggish overall. Yet, you cannot help but be drawn into Cindy and Franck’s actuality as they both are pilgrims in life desiring to share something that means a lot to them while providing us as the viewer a glimpse into the sphere of a young woman’s voyage to find meaning. Visually, however, the true miracle of this film is in the “wolf-cam” imagery that makes up a large portion of several sequences, as the pairing of both it and the accompanying sound effects quite faithfully make you actually think they somehow got a wild wolf to wear a camera and then just let it go to do what it does. It has that level of believability and brings about such an unanticipated depth of substance to the grander themes being presented, as we watch this animal’s travels that embrace both its own wondrous habitat, but then also man’s, and it makes one’s imagination soar when digesting these conceptualizations. Likewise, the varying moments we follow Cindy and Franck in their activities paints an endearing relationship that exudes a close, father-daughter type connection, which we get the impression is something Cindy especially values with all her heart.
Relative to the film’s 72-minute runtime, there actually isn’t a huge amount of dialogue, as the execution of Cindy and Franck’s tale isn’t done via the usual or expected interview-based packaging. It really feels more like a full-on narrative film, told mainly with visuals, rather than what we would typically attribute to a documentary. But, is this not what makes indie film so wonderfully different, eh? And it feels very personal, even dare I say awkward at times, for Cindy, as she truly is being highly candid, direct, and exposed in admitting her struggles, sharing her victories, and being forthright about what things make her feel alive, which again tends to lean towards animals, nature, and music as well. Franck is the affable, but rugged, man who is Cindy’s mentor in hunting technique and offering her the opportunity to become part of a “pack” herself via the community of hunters he is connected with. It’s evident he cares for her deeply and is watching out for her, which as mentioned above is very charming in its innocence and sincerity. Then there is the “wolf”, whose perspective is one of faultless beauty as it travels through its world, panting and taking in everything around it, a lone, (mostly) silent master of its domain, which in many ways reflects exactly how Cindy sees her own realm of existence as well. Again, huge kudos to the team handling the wolf dogs and cameras for this effort–Thierry Cadilhac, Arthur Lauters, Digitage, Z Orel Ochrana, Guizmo–and the rest for creating one amazing vantage point for us as viewers to relish.
In total, “Les Maitres Silencieux (The Silent Masters)”, not remotely your standard documentary film, is a broad spectrum study of finding our duality, accepting the mortality of it, ideally not wishing to ever be a direct detriment to the wonder of nature and its order of things, while harboring that desire to do as the wolf does–run free.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
