I remember when this film was considered for the Oscars race. But some people were saying everything from the film was staged, instead of reality. I was like, had no idea what to say for such accusation since I haven't seen it yet. That's when I just had watched 'Brothers of the Wind', an Austrian documentary style feature film on the almost similar theme. So I had lots of expectation on this one, but now, after watching, in fact, while watching itself got frustrated by it and also very happy it did not make into the Oscars.I expected a Mongolian tale and yes, it was, but about a Kazakh family. Except the subtitle for the language spoken in the film, there was an English narration that voiced by Daisy Ridley in the background to explain the events properly. Because this is not an interview kind of documentary, but follows a couple of characters to their adventures. Yep, almost entire film did not look like a natural event, but pre-planned. It's a directional debut for the filmmaker. Definitely he has the capacity, but did not pick the right theme.It's about a nomad family living in the nowhere of Mongolian grassland. The film opened with by saying the eagle training art is older than many historic events and its people the region has seen. So this little family has no son since the art is only passed on to them for generations. But the 13-year-old Aisholpan is interested to follow her father's footstep. That's where it all begins when she begins her training, following to have her own bird before competing in the biggest annual event in the nation.I don't know when the last time I rated a film this low, especially for a documentary film, probably this one is the first. I hated everything about the film since I'm a big animal fan. Lots of people who saw it appreciating without the brain. I wonder, would they all appreciated as well the abduction films like 'Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story', 'Abducted: The Carlina White Story' et cetera for not revealing the truth, but the crime committed in it, just like an eaglet was abducted in this.For me it looked like about an animal abuse and animal slavery. Everything they did in the film were for pleasure, for the record, for honour and of course for the film-making. Since humans are civilised and at present in the modern world, we had ended many inhumane practices and this is one of them should be abolished as soon as possible.If a farmer uses a cattle (domestic animal) in his field means he's intended to feed the millions. So do you think snatching an eaglet (wild animal) and training it would do the same or any worth. In fact, it is to kill other animals, like the fox. If an eagle hunts a fox in the natural world, that's very natural, but doing it for human is a big imbalance. DON'T SUPPORT SUCH FILM GUYS. Hats off to the Academy Awards for snubbing it. The competition that showed in the film was good, but I really heart broken when they went on to prove even more than that in the third act.It is not an inspiring film, but disgusting. If people/animal fans go after on a fiction feature film like 'Wiener-Dog' for depicting animal(s) badly, why not this documentary film based on the live- real. Please don't show it to the little kids. This film joins the list of those a very few I hate badly such as 'Man vs. Wild'. I regret watching it, but I would have not known such bad practice is still exists in the 21st century. If you are an animal lover like me, stay away from it. Instead, I highly, strongly recommend a beautiful, inspiring, message film 'Brothers of the Wind'. So totally ignorable film.01/10

Despite the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of this documentary (notably being omitted from the Oscar nominations in its respective category, while still being tipped as a potential front runner), The Eagle Huntress is a decent release that follows the story of (supposedly) the first eagle huntress in Asia, Aisholpan Nurgaiv. Nurgaiv is decidedly keen on entering a local eagle hunting festival at aged 13, before then venturing out into the mountains to become a fully-fledged eagle huntress.Being an eagle huntress entails training a three-month-old eaglet (after taking it from its nest that is), with the eventual outcome of being able to successfully hunt with it, before letting it go after seven years to complete the "circle of life".  Undeniably, this is a challenging way of life that requires hard work and years to master. Yet the film portrays Aisholpan in a light that makes it feel like she is rather too conveniently good at the work and that she was always capable of achieving the end goal, thus it struggles to truly resonate when the all-important pinnacle moments arrive. Whilst it is fair to assume Aisholpan possesses some natural talent, we rarely see her fail or train with negative outcomes. Exploring this side would certainly have made the film more relatable, and although Aisholpan is indeed personable, and there are some moments with a heartening timbre, it is unrealistic to think she didn't have much of a challenge in her path towards becoming the first eagle huntress. That is, it is unrealistic to think that there were no other challenges, disregarding the challenge of gender. It is established that eagle hunting is very much a male profession, an aspect battled with constantly throughout the film, which even manages to have comedic impact at times, but unfortunately this gets  increasingly repetitive by the end and is not seen to contribute towards any definitive conclusion.  That said, it is wonderful to watch Aisholpan and her father endeavour through the magnificent landscapes of Asia, as it is a superbly filmed documentary. This is most definitively one of the film's strongest attributes, as it feels often that it relies very much on nature to tell the story. Arguably it gets away with this, as the story is easy to follow, yet  largely inconsequential; as part of western society, it is pre-determined exactly what we are meant to think about Aisholpan's ambitions. While on the one hand there is an absorbing undertone of female empowerment, there is little else to try and convince us that the conclusion will not be precisely what we expect. The Eagle Huntress is a visual spectacle, full of emotion yet not as resonant as it  potentially could have been as a short film.

Since The Eagle Huntress is a documentary, I will do it the courtesy of getting directly to the point. The movie is stunning. It's beautifully shot, incredibly rendered and a substantial storytelling treat. It's the rare documentary that takes its admittedly small subject matter, a girl and her pet eagle, and capitalizes on the rich opportunities therein. Furthermore, if you took out Daisy Ridley's narration, and the side interviews that hammer home the fact that you're watching a girl power film in the best possible sense, you'd swear this film was a narrative feature.The Eagle Huntress is the moniker of the young Aisholpan Nurgaiv; a 13-year-old girl who sheds tradition to take part in a sport exclusively for the males of her culture. For more than twelve generations, Aisholpan's ancestors used eagles to compete in falconry competitions, hunt for foxes and gain a form of status among the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian steppes. Tribal leaders and fellow Eagle Hunters of course, balk at the idea of Aisholpan's inclusion. But with the help of her supportive father (an accomplished Eagle Hunter in his own rite), Aisholpan tirelessly goes through the training to become the first female Eagle Huntress in history.Part of her journey includes taking part in the Golden Eagle Festival in Mongolia, where Aisholpan and her eaglet compete in a myriad of events to determine the best of the best. Whether on purpose or a happy accident, the camera fastidiously captures every event with careful and visceral consideration. The blithe and even hostile looks people give our hero as she trots her horse towards the sign-in booth, gives the audience so much to invest in. The cherry on top is Aisholpan's newly minted hair pompoms which hang on her braids like an announcement of the changing winds.Tucked in-between the festival and Aisholpan's first foray into winter time fox hunting are exquisite depictions of everyday nomadic life on the perilous steppe. Aisholpan and her young siblings play along the borders of their parents yert as the austere mountains threaten to envelope their livelihood. You get a sense both of the dangers of living in such inhospitable lands, and the allure of such a quaint and insulated existence among grass, rock and pebbled riverbeds. Though the majesty and the quiet dignity, there looms an omnipresent reality; these tribal groups have been living like this since before Napoleon, Charles II and the founding of the United States and will continue to do so far into the future.If there is one drawback to a documentary this beautiful inside and out, it comes out of the blurring of reality and staged reality. Director Otto Bell has made it clear in interviews that parts of the film are edited out of chronological order in order to belabor its feminist message. Furthermore, if you're hyper-aware of the camera and its placement it's impossible not to conclude several shots were not candid shots. While I understand why these things were included, and while I agree that they don't necessarily break the tenuous rules of documentary film making, they hardly seem necessary given the subject.And my what a multifaceted subject Aisholpan proves to be. Her steadfast love for her family, her spirit in the face of adversity and her uncompromising zeal for the sport she loves so very much, is enough to rank among the best coming-of-age stories. She's impossible not to root for - and I guarantee by the end, you'll love her for it.

I was disappointed. The plot was super thin and there was barely any character development. I'm sure she was a great kid and all, but I didn't feel I knew her in the slightest when the movie suddenly ended. Didn't really care all that much about her struggles. And yeah, was the whole thing staged or what? Like a recreation? A fabrication? I'm just not sure.Seriously, I wanted to see an uplifting movie where a determined little girl torches some guys in a competition and teaches them that Girls Kick Ass So Get Outta The Way!!! But the competition was sort of lame. Then they go chase a scrawny fox. Then it's over.The scenery was majestic. Mongolia is a sweet place with a bright future. This movie doesn't do it justice. But it looks like I'm the only one who feels this way, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Or else the other reviewers are involved in some type of Freemason conspiracy. You be the judge.