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    Home » Review: Director Otto Bell’s “The Eagle Huntress”

    Review: Director Otto Bell’s “The Eagle Huntress”

    By SHOOTWednesday, October 26, 2016Updated:Tuesday, May 14, 2024No Comments3095 Views
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    • Image
    This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Aisholpan in a scene from "The Eagle Huntress," a documentary about a 13-year-old girl who trains to become an eagle hunter. (Sony Pictures Classics via AP)

    By Lindsey Bahr, AP Film Writer

    --

    There is an ancient tradition of falconry practiced by the people of Mongolia where burkitshi, or "eagle hunters," train golden eagles to respond to their call and hunt hares and foxes in the frozen landscape. It's a skill and ceremonial practice that's learned from age 13 and has been largely the domain of men.

    Enter Aisholpan, a 13-year-old nomadic Kazakh girl who wants to be an eagle hunter. Her father is one. Her grandfather was too. And it's a family tradition that dates back 12 generations. It's this shy, rosy cheeked and brave little girl whose story to become the first female eagle hunter in her family is lovingly told in the documentary "The Eagle Huntress ," which is sure to inspire and enchant generations of young children with its heartwarming story and stunning locations.

    It's fitting that the film is narrated (and executive produced) by Daisy Ridley, who shepherded the "Star Wars" universe into a more empowering space for women with her portrayal of the ambitious and self-sufficient Jedi-in-training Rey.

    Director Otto Bell embeds the audience in Aisholpan's world, which looks both modern and ancient at the same time. She lives with her parents and siblings in a spacious yurt. Her mother cooks and cleans and her father herds goats and cattle across the Mongolian Steppe. Aisholpan helps out with the chores at home and is a top student who hopes one day to become a doctor. But first, she wants to follow in her father's footsteps and train eagles.

    There is an obvious girl power message in the film that's spelled out loud and clear by both the narration and the framing of Aisholpan's accomplishments. Although her father and mother support her dreams, Bell makes sure to show a room of elder eagle hunters expressing doubts about a woman's ability to perform the job because they lack the necessary bravery and are "too fragile." They might as well be twirling their mustaches for how on the nose it all is.

    In fact, there's an overriding level of artifice to "The Eagle Huntress" that's hard to shake. Bell opts for reality show techniques to up the drama throughout, like a cut of Aisholpan removing her hat at a competition to reveal she's a girl juxtaposed with a shot of a man looking aghast while the music crescendos. Was he really looking at her? Was it an authentic moment? As it plays out, it certainly doesn't feel real even if the spirit of truth is there. It's something that's unlikely to bother or even register with younger audiences and perhaps it's even a necessary storytelling device. But it does break the spell of this otherwise enchanting and quite sincere film.

    It's hard not to get swept up in Aisholpan's bravery and determination as she climbs down a rocky terrain to kidnap her very own eagle, or as she braces for impact when her eagle swoops down to land on her arm. The drone shots of the landscapes, too, are something to behold. It is indeed a rare and special story, and, as a film, it's a wholesome lark that you'll want to show your daughters and sons.

    "The Eagle Huntress," a Sony Pictures Classic release, is rated G by the Motion Picture Association of America. Running time: 87 minutes. Three stars out of four.

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    Category:Features
    Tags:Otto BellThe Eagle Huntress



    Jury Convicts Harvey Weinstein Of A Prime Charge, Acquits Him Of Another In #MeToo Sex Crimes Retrial

    Wednesday, June 11, 2025

    Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted Wednesday of one of the top charges in his sex crimes retrial but acquitted of another, and jurors were as yet unable to reach a verdict on a third charge. The split verdict meted out a measure of vindication to his accusers and prosecutors — but also to Weinstein — in the landmark case. The partial verdict came after an extraordinary day in which the jury foreperson indicated he felt bullied and Weinstein himself urged the judge to halt the trial, declaring: "It's just not fair." "My life is on the line, and you know what? It's not fair," the former Hollywood heavy-hitter declared after making an unusual request to address the court. "It's time, it's time, it's time, it's time to say this trial is over." Weinstein's initial conviction five years ago seemed to cement the downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful men in a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement. But that conviction was overturned last year, and the case was sent back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse. This time, a majority-female jury convicted the former studio boss of forcibly subjecting Miriam Haley, a producer and production assistant, to a criminal sex act in 2006. Jurors acquitted Weinstein of another criminal sex act charge, this one related to former model Kaja Sokola's allegations of forcible oral sex in 2006. Haley, who had qualms about testifying again, said outside court Wednesday it had been "exhausting and at times dehumanizing." "But today's verdict gives me hope," she added. Jurors were to continue deliberating Thursday on a rape charge involving hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann. Under New York law, the third-degree rape charge carries a lesser penalty than the first-degree criminal sex act... Read More

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