1969, Mongolia. Sent by Beijing to the wilds to teach Chinese to a tribe of nomadic shepherds, Chen Zhen discovers a way of life founded on communing with nature. The equilibrium rests on a food chain dominated by wolves that reign the steppe above antelopes and marmots. But this harmony is destroyed when the authorities come to root out the wolves to help people affected by famine. Fascinated by these mystical animals, Chen decides to save a wolf pup and raise it to study the mystery – but around him a merciless war erupts between man and animal…

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How will Jean-Jacques Annaud ever raise himself above the spectacular flops of His Majesty Minor and Day of the Falcon ? Wolf Totem, a 3D opus about the wolves of Mongolia, Annaud’s latest favorite animal after The Bear and Two Brothers, seems to be a cynical response to this big money question. It is a wonderful surprise to find the 71-year-old director is back in form, as evidenced by a chase during a blizzard at night in which the bodies of horses, wolves and men crash into one another amongst the noise and the fury, like a train hurling itself at great speed into an icy night. Unsurprisingly, Jean-Jacques Annaud, is on the side of nature and its gods, which are much more beautiful and interesting than their human equivalents. The most remarkable thing about this movie is the incredible brutality in which Annaud shows the disappearance of a world devoured by modern China and the insanity of mankind.