The Story of the Weeping Camel
THINKFilm | Release Date: June 4, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
28
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Blurring all the lines between fiction and documentary, this gentle and amusing movie blends real, unrehearsed material with delightful storytelling scenes. Read full review
100
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Please see this movie, and take any kids old enough to read subtitles. It's one of a kind.
100
San Francisco ChronicleJonathan Curiel
Weeping Camel essentially lets native people tell their own unforgettable story. Read full review
100
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
The result is a vivid anthropological document suffused with plenty of emotion and a touch of ancient magic. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The vivid fictional specifics, and the simple loveliness of the artless performances by nonactor Mongolian nomads, attest to the filmmakers' abundant artistry. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Mostly this film is a glorious ode to the culture and family bonds that override all else, and to the expressiveness of both the human and animal actors. Read full review
90
Village VoiceLeslie Camhi
Beyond its rare visions of remote vistas, Camel's great charm lies in its seeming simplicity. The camera records the events of the day -- from a little girl's tears to an afternoon sandstorm -- with a childlike clarity and curiosity. Read full review
90
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
The movie, a lyrical blend of documentary and fiction filmmaking techniques, offers a bold example of the rewards of crossing boundaries -- stylistic, cultural, temporal and even commercial. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The movie is slight but transfixing. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Even the hardest heart must melt in the face of The Story of the Weeping Camel. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneEllen Fox
The film is really just a documentary about nomads masquerading as a feature about camels. Which is why it's okay to be distracted by the details, and perhaps why its subtext--about the younger generation's real and inevitable loss to modernity--is more effective than the storyline about the camel. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
While it's too slight a movie for overpraise, there are such a serenity of vision and clarity of purpose to these characters that we easily are caught up in the boys' struggle to reunite mother and child. Read full review
80
VarietyDerek Elley
The film spins a beguiling web of detail that builds to a surprisingly throat-clutching finish. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
The family's few lines of dialogue are so integral to advancing the story that they may well have been scripted, but it's not that important whether The Story Of The Weeping Camel is more fiction than objective ethnography. If anything, the contrast between what's real and what may have been faked only adds to the tension between the natural world and encroaching modernism. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
"Weeping" is a simple tale of animal estrangement and reconciliation that in its own quiet way manages to be soothing, hypnotic, even magical. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Strangely moving film. Read full review
80
EmpireDavid Parkinson
What makes this such an affecting picture is the contrast between the wonderfully aloof camels and the interdependence of the extended family, whose smiling resilience only hints at the harshness of an existence that has changed little in centuries. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
A rare film offering from Mongolia, is an unusual, captivating and crowd-pleasing semi-documentary about an extended family of camel herders -- and two of their flock. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The mother-child dynamic here is the fraught stuff of any worthy melodrama. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A joyous movie. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The live camel birth (shown in all of its excruciating beauty) is enthralling, and the cultural details, however staged, provide a vivid window into a world that is fast disappearing. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Serves as a beautiful and delicate reminder of the myriad ways in which life is lived on this huge planet of ours. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
A peaceful, unforced film, and it inspires a feeling of relief and joy that's hard to describe. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Plays like a sophisticated children's story. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Lovely, uncomplicated though limited movie. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
The leisurely narrative is barely able to sustain the film's full-length running time, and some of the obviously staged sequences involving the family of shepherds are annoyingly hokey. Nonetheless, "Weeping Camel" has an undeniable appeal. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
Rigged toward a sentimental conclusion and overpopulated with cutesy touches (including a curtain-call finale), but there are many remarkable sights along the way. Read full review
70
Film ThreatMichael Ferraro
Fascinating and beautiful film. Read full review
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