TIFF 2024: The Wolves Always Come at Night (With Movie Clip)
TIFF 2024: The Wolves Always Come at Night – A Powerful Tale of Climate, Culture, and Change
Gabrielle Brady’s The Wolves Always Come at Night is set to make its world premiere at TIFF 2024, and this hybrid of documentary and fiction is already turning heads. Set in the vast Mongolian countryside, this poignant and visually stunning film explores the heartbreak of climate change, urban migration, and the emotional toll it takes on one family. Here’s why this film is a must-watch at the festival.
The Story: Climate Change Forces a Family to Rebuild
At the heart of The Wolves Always Come at Night are Daava (Davaasuren Dagvasuren) and Zaya (Otgonzaya Dashzeveg), a young couple raising their four children in Mongolia’s Bayankhongor region. Like their ancestors, they’ve lived their entire lives as herders, deeply connected to the land and their animals. But after a devastating sandstorm, a harsh reality sets in: their traditional way of life is no longer sustainable.
Daava and Zaya make the heartbreaking decision to leave the countryside and move to the city of Ulaanbaatar, joining hundreds of thousands of former herders forced into urban migration. Daava even sells his beloved stallion—a gut-wrenching moment that symbolizes how much they’ve lost.
A Hybrid of Fiction and Documentary
What makes The Wolves Always Come at Night stand out is its seamless blend of documentary and fiction. Director Gabrielle Brady, known for her emotionally resonant documentaries (Island of the Hungry Ghosts), captures the authenticity of this family’s journey while weaving in fictional elements to deepen the emotional impact. The result is a breathtaking film that feels both intimate and universal, shedding light on the devastating effects of climate change and how it uproots people’s lives.
A Raw Portrayal of Urban Migration
Once in Ulaanbaatar, Daava, Zaya, and their children settle in the “ger district,” a sprawling area on the city’s outskirts where many displaced herders now live in yurts. Overpopulation, pollution, and the struggle to adapt to a new way of life hit hard. For Daava and Zaya, the city is a foreign world, a stark contrast to the open plains they once called home. The film beautifully captures the quiet grief and longing they feel, knowing that their past life is slipping further away, perhaps forever.
Why You Should Watch It
The Wolves Always Come at Night is more than a climate change narrative—it’s a deeply human story about resilience, family, and the painful process of adapting to a world in flux. Daava and Zaya, who also co-wrote the film, deliver subtle yet powerful performances that will leave you reflecting on the sacrifices people make when the places they call home can no longer sustain them.
With its breathtaking cinematography and raw emotional depth, this film offers a timely and important message about the fragility of the environment and the lives it supports. If you’re looking for a film that will make you think, feel, and appreciate the delicate balance between nature and culture, this is the one to watch.
Showtimes at TIFF 2024
Catch The Wolves Always Come at Night at these TIFF 2024 showtimes:
- Sunday, September 8 – 5:10 pm (Scotiabank Theatre)
- Monday, September 9 – 8:30 pm (TIFF Lightbox)
- Tuesday, September 10 – 9:10 am (Scotiabank Theatre)
- Wednesday, September 11 – 6:05 pm (Scotiabank Theatre)
- Friday, September 13 – 2:10 pm (Scotiabank Theatre)
With its world premiere at TIFF, The Wolves Always Come at Night is sure to leave a lasting impression on audiences. Don’t miss this hauntingly beautiful film that captures the profound impact of climate change on one family’s way of life.
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