Gunda

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john s RUNT A stunning black and white silent (save the grunting) documentary that soft focuses on the life of a pig. Seems innocuous enough, but there is magic here. Shot at ground level, and sparing nothing from farm life, "Gunda" is not here to shock, or illicit clown tears, but to have a look, like a wide-eyed child might back in the day when summers were not filled with organized sports camps or school continuation. It captures that slow, languid, breezy feel of beautiful boredom. Opening with the birth of a litter, it follows the towering mother sow as she clumsily deals with the runt of her offspring. It is astonishing, inviting, and then shockingly cruel. What is happening is not exactly clear, and there is no deep voice over to mansplain nature. That is the beauty of this film: it evolves along with the undetermined storyline. A slow, dreamy bit of cinema, "Gunda" works well in transporting the audience to a world most are familiar with but few actually know or have experienced hands on. The sharp monochrome delivery turns a pigsty into a pleasant aesthetic. The absence of smell helps. Nothing revelatory here, and since this is a farm, well, let's just say that the animals are not in charge, and there is a sudden dramatic turn to remind everyone about life's cold harsh realities. "Gunda" is an animal film that is really not an animal film. It is a brilliant exercise in moment capture, shot with an addictive lens, documenting some life lessons, without preaching or dwelling on anything in particular. Pigs in showbiz are usually funny, smart or exotic. Not here. "Gunda" is a mother, and that is that. - hipCRANK Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This is even better than the other Pig movie! Pura drama out of something unexpected. Will definitely make you reconsider your next meal... Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Wow, uber-urban film critics strike again. This is one of those docs where critics who have no real connection or direct experience with the subject matter will find that in itself reason to praise it. So all you block-of-flats/upper eastside/downtown-dwelling types who only see pigs as pork at a shop or when watching Babe, or cows & chickens also in edible form, you see something like this and then conjure up the dubious image of the 'noble beasts' or the thought of these simple creatures as something greater than just farm animals used for human gain as you eat your Whole Foods veggie burgers and jackfruit 'fish tacos'. It's way too hipster-ick for me. I saw all this time and time again as a kid, esp. the cows. I appreciate the nice camera work. The piglets/shoats were cute. But it's just a day on any number of farms. Let's be real. 2.3 stars just cuz Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Really excited about this one. A voiceover free documentary about a big sow and her little piglets. Shot in black and white and very, very pure. We follow them for a year or so, that's my guess at least, and we get a one-legged chicken and some cows on screen a few times as well. It's a meditative watch, but sadly pretty flat. I don't know what I expected, but I hoped for a bit more. Cool to have Joaquin Phoenix on board and the coolest part is that it was shot on a farm just a few stones throws away from my crib. One very obscure - brutal scene, a few sad ones, but mostly carefree animals animaling around. 6 out of 10 tractors. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Pure cinema, unadulterated by visible human presence. Without dialogue or commentary, it puts the BBC films with David Attenborough in their place: the pulpit. Wonderful camera-work and editing. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review dave d I don't feel like Gunda would approve of being in this documentary with no words. Whether or not that's the message that is desired is up to you and the filmmakers. The film didn't work for me, despite being beautifully shot. This film is so up its own @$s. They wanted to tell the story of how piglets are tore away from their mother, but it wasn't long enough so we added a one-legged chicken and a pair of cows. The final act is much too exploitive for my taste. Final Score: 4/10 Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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