Kayla - My friend from the wild
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Kayla - My friend from the wild |
| Original title | Kayla |
| Country of production | Canada |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1999 |
| length | 89 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Nicholas Kendall |
| script | Peter Behrens |
| production |
Colin Neale , Claudio Luca |
| music | Milan Kymlička |
| camera | John Berrie |
| cut | Jean-Marie Drot |
| occupation | |
| |
Kayla - My friend from the wild is a Canadian children's film directed by Nicholas Kendall from the year 1999 . It was based on the book by Elizabeth van Steenwyk .
action
Twelve year old Sam moves to a village in Canada with his mother in the 1920s. His father disappeared many years ago on an expedition to the Eskimos . Sam's mother has now met a new man whom she has married.
For Sam, however, his father is not dead. He clings to the thought that this might reappear. Getting used to life in a lonely village is not easy for the boy either.
A pack of feral sled dogs appears in the woods around the village. Despite objections from Sam's stepfather, the village assembly decides that poison traps should be set up against the dogs.
Sam injured himself on a trip into the woods. Then the leader of the pack of dogs appears. Sam thinks he recognizes his father's former sled dog. Since the dog keeps pushing the boy, he eventually gets back to his mother's house.
Meanwhile, the first dogs were poisoned. The dog who saved Sam shows up at the house. Sam's stepfather wants to shoot him, but Sam prevents this. Finally the dog becomes very trusting and stays with Sam.
A neighbor does not agree with this development at all and obtains a verdict from the justice of the peace that the dog should be shot. The village policeman sees the friendship between Sam and the dog and interprets the judge's verdict to mean that it must be about another dog.
A dog race is to take place in the village for the winter village festival. Sam wants to take part. But for that he needs a dog sled . He finds help from Jaynie, the neighbor's daughter. Since Jaynie is very skilled, the sled will be ready soon.
While Sam is training with the dog sled, Jaynie tries to introduce him to the Eskimo culture. Among other things, that a hunter who goes out always has a dog figure with him. This figure is intended to remind him that he is not only hunting for himself, but for the whole village. Sam doesn't want to know anything about it. His father said Eskimos are primitive savages.
Sam doggedly takes part in the race. Jaynie had secretly slipped him a dog figure. When Sam is behind in the race, he wants to give up. Then he discovers the figure and takes courage again. He realizes that it's about the group. Without Jaymie's help, he wouldn't have been able to take part in the race. And so in the end he even wins the race.
Reviews
“An adventure film for children set in a fascinating landscape, which finds its own narrative rhythm far from the usual hectic pace of action films. In the worries and conflicts of the boy who has lost his father, a famous polar explorer, there are also many questions about self-discovery, friendship, family and solidarity. "
Awards
- 1998: Chicago International Children's Film Festival, Adult Jury Award
- 1999: Nomination for the best equipment at the awarding of the Prix Jutra
Web links
- Kayla - My friend from the wild in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Kayla - My friend from the wild at prisma.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kayla - My friend from the wild. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed February 8, 2018 .