Australian director Gabrielle Brady continues her collaborative filmmaking approach to telling transformative stories in this absorbing and heartbreaking hybrid film. Told through the experiences of one family, The Wolves Always Come at Night lays bare the emotional ruptures of climate change and urban migration on Mongolian herders.
Born to generations of herders, young couple Davaa (Davaasuren Dagvasuren) and Zaya (Otgonzaya Dashzeveg) live a nomadic life, tending their animals by day in the vast Bayanhongor region of Mongolia and telling ghost stories at night. When a sudden storm wreaks havoc on their flock, they face the difficult decision of moving to the city with their four children. Dislocated from their traditions and their animals, the family must adapt to the new urban life.
Seamlessly blending documentary and fiction, The Wolves Always Come at Night is a timely reminder of the sometimes tenuous foundations of the places we call home. Dagvasuren and Dashzeveg, the film’s co-writers, are revelatory. The quiet heartbreak they endure is etched on their faces as they drift ever further from the herding life and culture they deeply love, yearning for a day they can return to their home and hoping, likely in vain, that it doesn’t cease to exist.
Mon 9 – Sun 10 Dec
Gates open 6pm | Film starts 8pm
Duration 93mins
2-for-1 Tuesdays Get two tickets for $22
Festival Club membership prices available.