Taiga, Parts 7–10

As Ottinger’s epic Mongolian trek wends its way toward a conclusion, her camera quietly witnesses the everyday lives of nomads tending their reindeer and moving with the seasons. We are invited inside yurts to listen to weathered elders talk about the old ways, and to watch a shaman carry out a ritual. The journey ends in Ulaanbaatar, where, as Ottinger slyly shows us, vestiges of tradition are transformed by their incorporation into what we call modern culture.