The film looks at first sight like a classical documentary as made by Robert Flaherty. Nanook of the North (1927) would appear to have been a direct source of inspiration. Gevorkian seems only interested in the customs and rituals of the Nivkhs, the Siberian Eskimos who live on the island of Sakhalin between Siberia and the northern part of Japan.But Pegniy pes begushiy kraem moria is in fact a feature film based on a scenario in which the Nivkhs play themselves. The story is borrowed from a tale by the Kirghisian writer Chinghiz Aitmatov. The naturalistic interpretation strives for authenticity and gives the story an epic appeal.The film-maker starts off by taking plenty of time to show the specific way of life of the Nivkhs, such as the animist rituals, the skills and crafts based on age-old tradition and the everyday struggle to survive with the aid of prehistoric hunting and fishing techniques. Only after an hour does the film start to condense into a story about the little boy Kirisk who, at the age of ten, sets out on a seal hunt with father and grandfather for the first time. It is a dramatic journey from which only the little boy returns.Gevorkian worked for more than ten years, interrupted by occasionally lengthy breaks, on this ode to an ancient natural people. In his film he demonstrates a perfect feeling for the moving power of the unpolished, for strange timing, for amateurism and documentary.
