Being Caribou (NR)

synopsis

Newlyweds Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison "go with the caribou" and prove just how remarkably beautiful the northern landscape really is. As well as a George Bush doll, they take along a camera and narrate their story on foot as they track the migration of the caribou to their calving grounds in the wildlife reserve the Bush family wants to see producing oil. The caribou migrate from across Alaska and the Yukon in one of the largest and longest migrations in the world, resulting in a 123,000-member herd converging in northeastern Alaska. Whether on skis or by foot, the humans prove decidedly less agile than the caribou, but patience and endurance are rewarded at the calving grounds where we witness the new calves take their first steps. Exhaustion, hunger and insects take their toll on caribou and human, and neither the caribou nor supply planes always appear on cue. This is a heartfelt and inspiring northern adventure which succeeds at revealing the powerful beauty and sacredness of the caribou and their habitat.