← Back to results
Wolf Totem
狼图腾
2015 116 min China, France PG-13 12+
★6.7
Adventure, Drama
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
📖 Based on the novel
«Wolf Totem»
byRong Jiang
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
In 1969, a young Beijing student, Chen Zhen, is sent to live among the nomadic herdsmen of Inner Mongolia. Caught between the advance of civilization from the south and the nomads' traditional enemies - the marauding wolves - to the north; humans and animals, residents and invaders alike, struggle to find their true place in the world.
Budget:
$38M
US Gross:
$210,591
Worldwide:
$123.21M
Starring
Shaofeng Feng
Actor
Shawn Dou
Actor
Ankhnyam Ragchaa
Actor
Awards
20 wins & 16 nominations total
Key opinion
Wolf Totem is a visually sweeping drama that explores the tension between nomadic traditions and encroaching industrialization. While the film is praised for its stunning portrayal of the Mongolian landscape and its environmental message, it draws divided opinions regarding the realism of its animal depictions.
| Cinematography | The cinematography masterfully captures the vast, majestic beauty of the Mongolian steppes and mountains. | |
| Theme | The film delivers a profound emotional and intellectual critique of how reckless human development disrupts fragile ecological balance. | |
| Direction | Jean-Jacques Annaud succeeds in crafting a respectful, non-Hollywoodized depiction of the nomadic reverence for nature. | |
| Score | The score provides a superb and fitting musical accompaniment to the grand, adventurous scale of the narrative. | |
| Adaptation | Opinions on the animal depictions are split: some find the wolves noble and compelling, while others criticize their behavior as unrealistic or silly. |