Happy People: A Year in the Taiga

Filmmakers Dmitriy Yasyukov and Werner Herzog team to offer a portrait of the rugged, self-sufficient Siberian trappers who lead incredibly difficult yet fulfilling lives far outside the confines of contemporary society. Though the southern region of Siberia is populous and prosperous, a long journey north eventually leads to the village of Bakhita, on the edge of the Yenisei river. With a population of just 300, Bakhita is reachable only by helicopter or boat, and offers no telephone lines or running water. The lives of the people who live there have changed little in the last few hundred years, and as a result, they're experts in living off of the land. By examining the culture and traditions of Bakhita, Yasyukov and Herzog challenge our concept of what it really means to live a truly free life.