Film Review: ‘The Eagle Huntress’

An inspiring, if one-note, documentary examines a young girl’s pursuit of her dreams. 

Between the worlds of entertainment and politics, 2016 has provided much deserved (and frankly overdue) attention on the achievements of strong and creative women. One unexpected new member of this sorority is Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl living in Mongolia, and the subject of the new documentary The Eagle Huntress. While her story may not have the name brand recognition of Hillary Clinton or the Ghostbusters women, it nonetheless speaks to the universal power of a young girl unwilling to bow to tradition and give up her dreams.

The documentary centers on Aisholpan and her quest to become an eagle hunter—an individual who literally captures and trains an eagle to hunt game with in the Mongolian mountains. While the notion of a woman, let alone a young girl, infiltrating this 2000-year-old cultural practice for the first time is met with the disapproval of elder hunters; Aisholpan’s father refuses to deny his daughter her dreams and begins training her to be a hunter just as his father did to him. Undaunted by outsiders wishing for her to conform, Aisholpan introduces her skills to the world at a prestigious Mongolian eagle festival and later ventures out to the wild to hunt with her eagle on a snowy mountain landscape to prove her mettle.

Perhaps the reason the film works as well as it does is because of just how captivating a figure Aisholpan is. Director Otto Bell does a masterful job of showing this girl’s initiation into this culture’s ancient tradition, while never forgetting she is at heart a normal 13-year-old girl. These scenes with her boarding school classmates fawning over stories of Aisholpan’s hunting exploits in their dorm room or her painting her nails while sitting with her bird offer striking reminders that there is more to her life than just her pioneering interest in hunting. Aisholpan’s father is also prominently featured, displaying his progressive attitudes and parental affection towards his daughter throughout their scenes together. One standout scene shows them both together after a strong performance in the festival, and him proudly boasting his daughter’s success to their stone-faced fellow hunters. Additionally, cinematographer Simon Niblett does a remarkable job visually capturing the beauty of the Mongolian mountain ranges and the occasionally brutal nature of the hunts.

The one overarching flaw the film faces is its inability to go beyond Aisholpan’s role as an inspirational figure. While her exploits with her eagle are undeniably captivating (the sequences of her competing at the festival are the highlight of the film), not many challenges are ever shown in her actual development as a hunter. Watching her seemingly become an expert with her bird mere minutes after seeing her capture it is certainly impressive, but does leave the film largely lacking in conflict. Though Aisholpan’s story is more than deserving of being told to the masses, one can’t help but wish we’d been shown less of a fully formed figure and been able to instead watch her become the eagle hunting badass she’s celebrated as.

Opens in New York and Los Angeles on Nov. 2 (followed by nationwide expansion).