“Within the vast, mountainous region of the Tibetan plateau, two Frenchmen, Vincent Munier, a world-renowned wildlife photographer, and Sylvain Tesson, a writer and traveller, are determined to find and photograph one of the area’s most elusive creatures: the snow leopard (panthera uncia). Munier introduces Tesson to the subtle art of watching from a blind spot, tracking animals, and finding the patience to catch sight of the beasts. Wandering cautiously throughout these stunning landscapes, the pair begin to consider the precarious position of modern man within nature and humanity’s place on earth, mourning an ancient time when “beasts, humans, and gods conducted a common conversation.”
As their search for the feline becomes increasingly futile, director Marie Amiguet flips the film’s narrative by transforming the two men from the observers into the observed. Munier and Tesson creep across the screen akin to the region’s fleeting fauna, wide-eyed and considerate of their surroundings. Aware of their misplacement within this delicate yet robust environment, the pair act as grateful, honoured guests desperately aiming, but perpetually unable, to express thanks to their enigmatic hosts.” -Vancouver International Film Festival
