In search of the elusive snow leopard, writer Sylvain Tesson and wildlife photographer Vincent Munier traverse the Tibetan Highlands in this quietly captivating documentary...
Directors: Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier
Starring: Vincent Munier, Sylvain Tesson
Running time: 92 minutes
Spotting the mysterious snow leopard, found across the mountainous regions of Central Asia, is an ambition for countless wildlife photographers or writers. Similar in theme to Peter Matthiessen’s 1978 philosophical memoir The Snow Leopard, in 2019 French travel writer Sylvain Tesson published The Art of Patience: Seeking the Snow Leopard in Tibet – documenting his travels with renowned wildlife photographer Vincent Munier, searching for the near-legendary sleek spectacle in sensational starkness. This is the film that Munier was co-directing at the time, revealing the visual angle of his and Tesson’s experience together.
The title, presumably renamed to avoid confusion with Matthiessen’s narrative, suggests an environmentalist worshiping of the snow leopard. Yet, the film’s approach is almost opposite and may surprise the viewer. Instead of concentrating solely on the image of the infamous cat, her natural Tibetan habitat requires patience from the onlooker and a self-effacing awareness of the environmental destruction causing the elusiveness of the creature.
This elegant documentary teaches the onlooker to accept, but also appreciate the limits of our access to nature at a respectful distance
Just as Munier and Tesson learn to adapt to the pace of their new surroundings, the audience learns to conform and savour other sights not publicised in the title. As the famed monarch keeps us waiting, other forms of wildlife appear from the dramatic landscape. Two horns reveal themselves over peaks of land, gesturing the presence of a Tibetan antelope; a fleeting shot rewards us with a perpetually scowling Tibetan fox; even long lines of cattle entwining across grassy slopes appear magnificently captured. These moments don’t fall short at humanity either, with accounts of Munier and Tesson’s interactions with the region’s locals of all ages proving to be part of the film’s wittiest sequences.
But what of the leading lady? After many cold trails and near misses, she finally offers us some closure. With a shy snippet of a tail behind a rock formation first exposing itself, there is real wonder when she eventually appears on our screen with a true royal entrance. On par with her seductive environment, she is truly striking. This elegant documentary, equipped with a sublimely organic score by Australian composers Warren Ellis and Nick Cave, teaches the onlooker to accept, but also appreciate the limits of our access to nature at a respectful distance.
Did you know? This nature piece won the Climate prize at Cannes Film Festival in 2021 and was named best documentary at both the Lumières and César Awards.
The Velvet Queen is currently showing at Broadway Cinema until Thursday 19 May
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