State of Dogs

1998 1h 31m MN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 6

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In Ulan Bator, Mongolia, the cur Baatar is shot by a hunter hired by the authorities to get rid off the dogs in the city...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Damchaa Banzar
Nyam Dagyrantz
Baatar Galsansukh
Purevdavaa Oyungerel
Jamyansuren Oyunstingel

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Brosens
Writers: Peter Brosens, Turmunkh Dorjkhand
Languages: Mongolian
Countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Mongolia, Netherlands

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

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Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Mongolia, Netherlands.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

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Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Brosens, shot by Heikki Färm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Octavio Iturbe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Damchaa Banzar and Nyam Dagyrantz and Baatar Galsansukh carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0169268 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Brosens directs. Heikki Färm behind the camera. Octavio Iturbe cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Mongolia, Netherlands. Dialogue in Mongolian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 5 countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Mongolia, Netherlands.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Peter Brosens, shot by Heikki Färm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Octavio Iturbe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Damchaa Banzar and Nyam Dagyrantz and Baatar Galsansukh carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0169268 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Heikki Färm
Editing: Octavio Iturbe
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Status: Released
Original language: MN
IMDB: State of Dogs (1998)

Also by

Peter Brosens

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

SGhosh2013-12-05
The trilogy that started off with an experimental documentary continues with a brilliant film that captures the life and death of Bassar, a stray dog. Shot gorgeously in the arid but harshly romantic Mongolia, this one was an awesome watch. I am tempted to draw parallels with Au Hasard Balthazar, which is one of my most favorite movies, from the perspective as how the movie becomes not so much about Balthazar or Bassar, but much more about the people around them, in this case the country around Bassar too. A very important phase of Mongolian history is captured, when the Soviets left their country and democracy was declared, through the memories and musings of Bassar’s spirit. As the first part, this one too is structured around a fable, and does a fluent job is combining the fable with the history and culture of Mongolia. The film ends with a superb performance by an acrobatic Mongol child dancer, which was shot with breathtaking beauty. Overall, a great film on the intriguing Mongolia and oh, I almost forgot, the starting sequence is marvelous and crackling with a strange energy that sets the right tone for the movie.

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