A small film, a moving and beautiful film, a film that moves at the pace of farm animals. It is set in another universe that is open to us but that we don't visit.

Gunda(480P)

source: Gunda

A gorgeously shot black and white documentary, on a farm, following the daily routines of new-born piglets, a one-legged chicken, and a herd of cows. The film only features the animals and the ambient sounds... no music, no people... simply observation. It is beautiful, and it certainly hints at the changes we should consider when it comes to farming. However, it drags a little and only just gets a positive review.

I'm sure many people would like this movie. It's incredibly aestetic, completely in black and white, and they are playing with light and contrasts beautifully. I still have to say, I couldn't even finish it. I don't struggle with cruelty or anything usually, but I had to stop watching earlier, I had a panic attack while watching this movie, that huilt up in the moment where seemingly, the pig kills one of the children. I'm sure that didn't really happen, but it looks like it, and it's disturbing and disgusting. I get that many will be able to watch this but why on earth do I not find trigger warnings anywhere? I almost passed out after watching the first maybe 45mins, I got anxious and panicked, and I am still disturbed. I totally get the beauty people see in this, it's a documentary, it's reality, whatever, but atleast a warning...I really struggled from watching this.

Done far better by any of the many nature series one can see on cable. Slooooow static real time photography in black and white does nothing to enhance the visuals or storytelling, what little there is of it. All leading to sentimental payoff that could have been reached in a half hour. Typical example of NYFF inert anti cinema.

...although more of the story of the chickens and cows life would have balanced it better. Many informative reviews here already, hence I wanted to add some facts I looked up afterwards, also as some here got it wrong, but I won't as I don't like spoilers. You find every question which (hopefully) pops up afterwards by doing a quick search. I'll only leave a good note I liked from AccidentalSmallHolder net ehich addresses something you'll (hopefully) also think about afterwards: "If pig keeping isn't for you, please do the next best thing and source your pork, bacon and sausages from ethically reared pigs. If it doesn't say the pigs are born and reared outdoors, they probably weren't so don't be fooled by misleading labelling. Even pigs that are reared outdoors may have been born to sows kept indoors, in crates, so do be aware of labelling - it's more about what it doesn't say, than what it does."

I agree with Paul Thomas Anderson, this is more of a potion than a movie... Captivating, enchanting, poetic, unforgettable, magical.... like a fragile childhood memory that you sometimes dream of in the night..... Have watched this film 4 times already, for its cinematic beauty, leave alone its soul. I believe this is one of those films that will change the course, the direction of one's life, many lives. It deserves huge audiences. Bravo to the creators from the bottom of my heart.

An emotionally reflective film which essentially has the audience watching the life of a grown pig, Gunda as she gives birth and tries to raise her piglets on the farm. The ending was extremely powerful and heart-wrenching. I recall being surprised when it ended as I didn't notice how quickly over an hour had gone by.

I was long waiting to see this movie: the black and white charm of the trailer, together with sounds of grunting, squeaking and clucking, familiar to anybody, made a refreshing impression of something different from what is usually shown in the wide release. The movie had no words or moralising, yet, when it ends one can hardly hold the tears. The plot is simple, telling a story of a sow with a litter of piglets and a few hens and cows living at a free-range farm. The camera catches their different emotions, daily joys and tragedies, which one can no longer observe once these animals reach the meat section in a grocery store. In that sense, the movie tells a story of deprived and miserable, farm animals who have no names, no voice and no right to exist in our consciousness. Their emotions are surprisingly human: curiosity of the piglets, tiredness of their mother, the will to life of the one-legged chicken, compassion of calves towards each other in defending from flies, the heartbreaking despair of the sow. The inherent unfairness of their lives vis-à-vis the lives of humans leaves a bitter feeling and a lump in the throat. It is a rare movie, which requires immersion in the dark atmosphere of a cinema, but rewards with empathy towards other beings and a warm feeling of unity with them.