Happy People: A Year in the Taiga

The main subjects are the Russian trappers, with the indigenous Ket villagers featured in brief scenes and interviews. They are shown to maintain centuries-old traditions with great skill, but also to have been pushed down the social hierarchy, and in some cases turned to alcoholism. The Russian trappers are all men, and the villagers demonstrate traditional gender roles, with men hunting and gathering while women cook and take care of the home. A woman over 50 maintains the tradition of crafting dolls; she doesn't speak on camera, but her work is described in voiceover. Women don't get much screen time, and their roles within this society aren't explored.

A few sequences of animals being caught and/or trapped. A dog chases a smaller animal and fights with it, and a hunter removes dead, frozen animals from traps. Guns are occasionally shown and fired -- at one point killing a bird. Hunters stab at fish and shoot them underwater; they're later gutted, and animals are skinned on camera. A subject remembers an incident of a bear killing a dog, going into detail about its torn stomach and bowels hanging out. Little to no blood shown. A person slips from a roof into a snow drift but is unharmed. Mention of loss of life in WWII, and a character becomes tearful while speaking of their experience in the war. A house is shown on fire and burns down.

A married couple kisses on the lips.

Language occasionally includes "hell." "Bitch" is used a few times in reference to female dogs.

Reference to many villagers struggling with alcoholism. One person appears to be drunk on camera -- though they're not a main subject of the film. People drink vodka on a number of occasions, described as "jet fuel." Subjects smoke cigarettes.

Parents need to know that Happy People: A Year in the Taiga -- a documentary assembled (though not filmed) by German director Werner Herzog -- captures a year in the life of the hunter-trappers who live and work in the wilderness region around Siberia. Dialogue is in Russian, with English voiceover and subtitles for U.S. release. The trappers demonstrate perseverance, great skill and knowledge, and moments of humor and empathy during the film. There's hunting-related violence, with guns/shooting, animal traps, and animals harmed and/or killed. In one sequence, a dog chases and throws a small animal around to kill it. The movie briefly discusses the fact that many of the residents of this area struggle with alcoholism; subjects drink and smoke cigarettes. The word "hell" is used, and "bitch" is spoken a few times in reference to female dogs. The "happy people" in the film's title refer to male trappers, while women aren't given much screen time. Overall, the film is fascinating, informative, and sometimes touching, even showing what life might be like without media and devices.

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