The Wolves Always Come At Night: Movie Review

Director: Gabrielle Brady

An intriguing documentary about a Mongolian couple Daava and Zaya, a nomadic couple in the Gobi Desert, The Wolves Always Come At Night takes a look at the impact one single event can have on an entire community and family.

When a vicious sandstorm rips through their settlement and wipes out their flock, they have no choice but to relocate to the outskirts of a nearby village, far away from the world they've known through the years.

To say The Wolves Always Come At Night is a case of slow cinema in extremis is an understatement. 

With gorgeously swooping and desolate visuals, the film's eye for both the nomad lifestyle and the bleakness of parts of the Gobi Desert is both compelling, alienating and also heartbreaking.

Early scenes find the pair counting their animals - an admittedly small flock - something which builds a level of connection that's not scored by any traditional narrative. Arid lands give way to a raging sandstorm, a visual that as destructive as any wrought by CGI on screen in a blockbuster.

But this intimate tale hints at the damage done by global warming, with the herders revealing in an emergency meeting of their ilk that if they can have at least one in three years that's decent to their crops and stock it's a bonus.

Yet what also emerges in this tale is a strong feeling of resilience, of families and livelihoods shattered by events outside of anyone's control. Not once does the camera allow any kind of manipulation here, with the film providing an honesty that's as compelling as it is raw.

The Wolves Always Come At Night is part of the 2025 NZIFF. For more, visit nziff.co.nz