The Cave of the Yellow Dog

Featuring a scene-stealing dog and a gaggle of adorable children, The Cave of the Yellow Dog hails from Mongolian director Byambasuren Davaa, one of the filmmakers for the similarly-themed docudrama The Story of the Weeping Camel. The earlier film offered a study of a nomadic mountain family affected by the birth within their camel herd of a rare white calf, which its mother refuses to nurse, with much of the film's focus falling on the clan's lovable kids. The Cave of the Yellow Dog is a study of a nomadic mountain family whose routine is altered by the appearance of a wild dog that the eldest daughter wants to adopt, with much of the focus falling on the clan's lovable kids. In other words, this is less an independent project than a sort of undeclared sequel, which—like its predecessor—is at least as much an ethnological study as entertainment, if not more so. Like most sequels, this one isn't quite as good as the original, but it's still a sweet family-friendly film boasting an easygoing charm that makes it hard to resist. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a 13-minute interview with writer-director Byambasuren Davaa, and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a winning little film.] (F. Swietek)