Why we picked it – We always look for a slow reflective film for December and this is certainly one of those.

Synopsis – A group of old men – they are all men – hunt in the woods of Piedmont with their dogs for the prized Alba truffle. Er….that’s about it really. The dogs’ olfactory powers are vital to find the truffles underground. After a successful hunt, the truffles are smelled and sampled by gourmet buyers who sell them to high-end restaurants around the world. Each of the hunters has his own individual story, but they are united by their devotion to their dogs. Much of the dialogue is not standard Italian but Piedmontese and the communication between dogs and men is neither Italian nor Piedmontese, but a language unique to them.

The film – This community of dogs and men is an endangered social enclave threatened by the forces of modernity and the passage of time. Climate change threatens as increasingly warmer and dryer winter soils and deforestation results in fewer truffles to be found. Fiercely competitive, they are resistant to passing on their skills and knowledge. Implicitly there is a stark difference between the modest backgrounds of the hunters and those of the luxury product’s consumers.

Uninterrupted scenes are shot from fixed vantage points to construct a film that, in the words of the director, flows ” like a stream of paintings to tell a story that is felt more than understood.” Some of the shots are from cameras mounted on the dogs themselves showing the dog’s-eye view through the hunt to the moment of success. Here is a Q and A session with the directors talking about the film.

Directors Writers and Cinematographers – Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw

Links – imdb New York Times Empire