Happy People A Year In The Taaiga Analysis

“Happy People: A Year in the Taiga” is yet another example of the misconceptions that are held about a ‘romantic’ Arctic. Though some may argue that the documentary is used more as a teaching tool for those who don’t live in the Arctic, this is not the case because, there are various inaccuracies within the narration of the movie, the soundtrack that plays at various times throughout the documentary is inappropriate as it adds an exotic and romantic feeling towards the Arctic that is ultimately argued against by the documentaries protagonists and the issues of indigenous peoples in the Bahkta are strongly deemphasized. Because this film is a documentary and is meant to inform the viewer about a subject these conceptions are dangerous as can be argued that it is highly dramatized and misinformed. With sequences, such as showing how sustainable the Bahkta can be, with the right soil, “I have cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, …show more content…
“This is the romantic Taiga, not a living soul for hundreds of miles around.” (Happy People, Winter, 24:59-25:04). The soundtrack also adds a level of these feelings as well. However, not everyone feels this way, as Soloviev, one of the film’s stars talks about the stark realities of living conditions in the Taiga. “It was not like that island on TV where they are all heroes and catch and share crabs or scorpions. Me, I was really struggling for my life […] Because snow fell and I had no winter clothes, there was no stove in the hut just bread rusks to eat.” (Happy People, Spring, 20:07-20:27). This is a direct contrast to what this film ultimately portrays, even on a subconscious level and what Soviet-era propaganda said about the Arctic. The latter would have clearly reached Soloviev as he moved to the village of Bahkta in 1970. (Happy People,