Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Beautiful, profound B&W farm docu is mild but slow paced.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Gunda
What's the Story?
In GUNDA, a litter of newborn piglets circles around their mother, Gunda, alternately nursing and exploring their hay-topped surroundings. As time passes, the piglets grow and start to be more brazen about their exploring, but they're still attached to their mama. Meanwhile, viewers meet an intrepid one-legged chicken who seems perfectly able to get around by hopping. There are also some cows, who pair up, using their tails to swat the flies from their partner's face. When the movie returns to the pigs, they're much bigger and less reliant on their mama. It just might be time for them to move on.
Is It Any Good?
This gorgeous farm documentary, filmed in black and white, is stripped to its core, with no music, narration, or even humans. But it somehow captures the rhythms, innovations, and even emotions of animals. Directed by Russian filmmaker Viktor Kossakovsky, Gunda features such subtle, searching cinematography that it inspired Joaquin Phoenix to sign on as an executive producer and director Paul Thomas Anderson to call it "pure cinema," proclaiming that "it's what we should all aspire to as filmmakers and audiences."
The simple stories presented here, such as the pigs growing up and learning how to take care of themselves, are suddenly profound, with a truly heartbreaking ending, as mama pig winds up alone. The one-legged chicken comes across as wily and clever as he overcomes obstacles such as a fallen tree branch. And the cows' problem-solving and teamwork are positively inspiring. The movie's long shots can be hypnotic but also lulling, and it could be easy for viewers' minds to drift -- hopefully in tune with the movie's own rhythms. But, truthfully, even with very little iffy content, Gunda might be a bit too slow for smaller children.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Gunda depicts sadness and separation. How does the mama pig seem to be feeling in the end? How did this scene make you feel?
Does it feel like any animals experienced injury or pain in the movie? How does that make you feel? How do the animals show resilience?
How do you feel about the movie being in black and white instead of color? Does it seem like it's "missing" anything?
Does the movie seem to have a story, even without a storyteller or anyone speaking? How?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 16, 2021
- On DVD or streaming : April 16, 2021
- Director : Viktor Kossakovsky
- Studio : Neon
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Animals
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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