Kekexeli: Mountain Patrol (DVD, 2006)

A painfully beautiful film, as well as one of those rare texts which can remind those of us who forgot what being human on this planet is all about.

Kekexeli: A barren, cold mountain region of Tibet. Nothing appears to live in this frozen desert save for the Wild Yak - a furry creature that appears to be about the size of a deer.
And the fur of this creature has made it a target for poachers in this wasteland as they slaughter thousands for their skins in kills that remind one of the slaughter of the buffalo in the late West.
This film covers the story of the Mountain Patrol in this region whose job is to prevent and confiscate the poaching of these skins. Their jurisdiction is questionable, but their Chinese weapons are accurate and their loyalty to one another is quite endearing.
All suffer in this far-reaching drama - the Mountain Patrol, the poachers, the girlfriends, daughters, jeeps and all - nothing is untouched by this tough existence.
This is not a good film, it is a great film. The acting, the music, the direction, the cinematography. It is all fabulous. I rate it in my top ten films of all time, though it shouldn't be watched if you are feeling down, because this is no feel-good movie. It is more of an examination of the futility of existense and the unyielding brutality of nature and wilderness.
The film is based upon the true story of the Mountain Patrol in this region in the 1990's. Since this time, the film notes, the Chinese government has sent regular units to the area to protect these creatures.
See this film!