Loup (2009)

Sergei is an Even nomad and reindeer herder. He lives in the mountains of eastern Siberia. When he comes of age, his father sends him to guard and protect a herd of 3,000 animals belonging to the Batagai clan from wolves, as is the herding tradition of his people. Entrusted with this task by his people, Sergei sets out to fulfill his mission in this part of Siberia, where he will encounter wolves. The film opens with a fight between Nikolai, a reindeer-herd guardian and the leader of an Even clan in Siberia, and a pack of wolves attacking the reindeer. Sergei, still a child and Nikolai’s son and successor, is with his father and witnesses the fight. Sergei and the wolves will be bound together forever. It is an exceptional day for Sergei: his clan is celebrating his coming of age. For the Even, a nomadic people of Siberia, becoming a man means showing the rest of the clan that you can protect the tribe’s reindeer herd from its hereditary enemy: the wolves. But on the very first night, Sergei betrays his duty. Moved by a she-wolf and her four cubs, he cannot bring himself to coldly kill the harmless little ones nursing at their mother’s side. Wladim, a member of the clan, is disappointed and jealous that Sergei was chosen instead of him. Nastazya, the daughter of a leader of a neighboring clan and Sergei’s childhood friend, is disappointed not to find him when she arrives. She therefore decides to go looking for him in the mountains, where he is supposed to be guarding the herd that is vital to his people. Sergei, who has been waiting for her for a long time, should be happy, but he fears for “his” wolves, since Alexeiev and Wladim are watching the herd while he is away. Sergei returns to his camp early, but shows more interest in his mission than in Nastazya. He goes back to find his wolves and gives them names: Baikal, Anouchka, Kamar, and Kitnic for the cubs, then Voulka for the female and Torok for the male. Nastazya returns and catches Sergei approaching the wolves and trying to pet them. She flies into a rage: they are a threat to her clan, and she decides to leave. A storm is approaching, so she stays at the camp with Sergei. Nikolai joins Sergei to tell him that wolf tracks have been spotted. To Sergei’s great surprise, Nastazya defends him to his father. Winter comes, and the mission has been accomplished: the herd has been protected. However, wolf tracks become more visible. Nikolai finds them and decides to send Wladim to kill the wolves. Wladim fails; the wind has erased the tracks. The wolves hunt and attack the herd, which flees the corral. Sergei’s father realizes that he has been lying and no longer trusts him, but Sergei still refuses to kill “his” wolves. Alas, when the wolves try to kill the reindeer, Sergei is forced to shoot at “his” wolves, killing Baikal. Worried, Nikolai goes to see Sergei. Sergei shows him the wolf’s body, but Nikolai also discovers how attached his son is to a pack of wolves. Distraught, Sergei wants to apologize to the wolves, but Torok, the pack leader, falls into a frozen lake. The two companions save each other: Sergei dives in to rescue Torok, who warms him on the shore and saves his life. Sergei decides to lead his entire pack to a distant plain where they can live without threatening the herd. Sergei returns to the village and lies, saying the wolves are dead. Nikolai suspects this is untrue but says nothing. Nastazya and Sergei marry, sharing their secret. When the moujouk, the village sage, hears wolves, the clan goes hunting. As Wladim is chased by the wolves, Sergei saves him without harming the animals. The clan brings back six wolves: they are not Sergei’s. The clan’s life will then change, and it will carry on in harmony in the mountains with the reindeer and wolves. But another danger threatens them: deforestation by other people.