Sweetgrass

In this gentle, patient documentary about the dying practice of transhumance (i.e., seasonal nomadic animal husbandry) in the Montana Rockies, filmmakers Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor follow the last sheep drive into the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness from beginning to end. Sweetgrass starts with the birth of lambs and the shearing of sheep back at the ranch before following the herd being taken up the mountains by two drovers—the older, more taciturn, and even-tempered John Ahern, and the younger, more loquacious, and emotional Pat Connolly. Once the pair reach the upper pasture, their days are spent keeping the animals together, with their nights alternating between sleeping and warding off predators such as bears and wolves. The strain on both men is palpable, although the more experienced Ahern deals with it better. In fact, Ahern's equanimity stands in sharpest contrast to his protégé's volatility when Pat delivers two long, unforgettable diatribes on the return trip: one, a phone call to his mother complaining about his injured knee while standing atop a peak in order to get reception; the other, a hilariously obscene harangue aimed at the recalcitrant sheep when they fail to stay together. And there's a poignant coda as the flock is taken to market and the shepherds drive off to an uncertain future. It would be easy to call Sweetgrass the real Brokeback Mountain—minus the sex (except perhaps among the animals)—but it's also a haunting reverie about a bygone age and a tip of the hat to the men who endured incredible hardships along the way. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary with filmmakers Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, additional scenes (56 min.), a fan photo gallery, trailers, and a booklet with an essay by film critic Robert Koehler. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an atmospheric documentary.] (F. Swietek)