Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I have recently seen my first 2 Werner Herzog documentaries, Into the Abyss and Grizzly Man and I loved both of them and so came to Happy People with high hopes. It was a bit of a let-down.Firstly, most people seem to give Herzog all the credit here yet he did not go out to Siberia to film any of his 'own' documentary. Whilst he shares directorial credit, Dmitry Vasyukov did all the beautiful camera-work and put in the hard days living in those conditions, so he must get the lion's share of the plaudits. Secondly, the film purports to be aboutthe lives of the villagers yet the vast majority of the film concerns one trapper. The film follows him and his dogs around as he goes about his life hunting animals in the wild. We learn next to nothing about the lives of the women or children in the village, and there are only sporadic moments featuring other menfolk. It felt as if the film was about this one hunter and the rest of the people in it were just context for his life. Thirdly, where are the 'happy people' the title refers to? I didn't see any particularly happy people in the film. I think the principle behind the film was to give the impression that people who lead simpler, remote lives are happier than the rest of us, but i saw no evidence of this whatsoever. The men who were shown collecting logs, who referred to their universal alcohol problems, looked particularly UNhappy. These people lead very difficult lives in extreme conditions. I'm not saying they were going around looking miserable, but they certainly weren't jumping for joy at their wonderful lives. It seems a bizarre title for the film. Finally, I like to learn from documentaries but I also like to be entertained and I found this film just a bit boring. This is not to say there are no good points ... there are scores of beautiful nature shots and it is an interesting look into a completely different way of life. That was not enough for me to make it a recommendation.

First of all, I don't want anyone to think that I don't consider this to be a film of the highest quality. It was extremely informative, and overall quite entertaining and well made. My quibble with it is this: not one single person portrayed in the film fit anything that I would consider to be a description of "Happy". In fact, most of them seemed downright somber if not dour the whole time. Perhaps the film makers got the sense that the people who lived in this remote Siberian village were, in fact, quite happy people while they were there making this (extremely well made) film, but that sense of happiness was not conveyed to the watcher. Their lives seemed dismal and harsh at best, and none of them had an attitude about life that reflected anything different than that they lived a dismal life in a harsh and unforgiving world. While it is a look at the way people probably lived several hundred years ago (minus the snowmobiles and chainsaws), I for one do not envy them in the least. I'm sure it can be terribly exciting to encounter dangerous wild animals and harsh unforgiving elements in the wilderness, but without ANY real modern amenities, the lives led by the people in this movie have to be without a doubt what most of us would consider to be mind- numbingly boring. Not to mention lonesome. Months in the wilderness trapping small fur-bearing animals with only the company of a dog or two, does not seem like the making of a "happy" life to me. I was expecting some sense of enlightenment to come across in the film as to why people who live in such bleak and harsh conditions would be in some way happier than the rest of us, but that never came. If you are expecting that sort of enlightenment, then you may be disappointed. However, the film does indeed prove to be quite engaging and entertaining, portraying the inhabitants of this region of Siberia as hard-working, industrious and without a doubt some of the toughest people left on earth. Your deer hunting, Cabella's swag wearing neighbor (or uncle, or cousin ...) only wishes he could be a fraction of the outdoors-man these rugged Russians are. It's likely that if a guy like that were to trade places with one of the trappers in the movie for even a single day, he would not make it through that day alive. It's a film worth watching, but I'm just wondering how on earth the film makers could describe these as "Happy People".

Werner Herzog once again tackles the man against nature theme, as he did with Grizzly Man previously. In that feature, he followed a guy living happily amongst a group of bears, until a very unfortunate ending. This time, he ventures to Siberia to tell the story of sable trappers battling the freezing cold and other elements in the frozen tundra of the Soviet Union. The scenery is spectacular, and the day to day lives of the inhabitants interesting to see from a modern western perspective. I love the Huskies, who accompany the hunters during the brutal conditions with seeming content. As for the humans, they seem to be satisfied with their physically demanding but rewarding lifestyles. Herzog narrates, as usual, with an attitude of respect for his subjects. He spends the ninety minutes sticking to the visual beauty of the wilderness from overhead to underwater shots below the frozen river. An interesting documentary.

Saw this one a couple of years ago and was really stunned with the quality of this documentary.Movie crew lived through a year in Bakhta, small simple village of huntsmen and fishermen in Siberia, and they have done an amazing job of showing how simple life, hard (you bet) labour and everlasting circle of life make people... pure. Happy.There's not a hint of falseness, no pathos, no complaints. And that's probably what got to me the most: perfect documentary, no opinion imposed, just showing this life 'as is' - and the clarity of it strikes you, urban people, deep to the core.Must see, really.