Synopsis
When Torarin (9) and the family move to the small village of Akkarfjord on Sørøya, furthest north in Norway, he and his sister Svalin (12) want a horse. Instead of a horse, however, the parents buy two Mongolian camels.
The animals grow and become huge. The male camel is expected to be around 1,000 kilos. Neither Bor nor Bestla (female) likes to participate in training activities. But untrained camels can be dangerous to ride on.
When Torarins father injures himself on a chainsaw, there is less time for the camels. He has a lot more to do but need to spend a lot of time in hospital. The children then have to help with other things, instead of training camels.
Bor and Bestla are becoming quite self-willed and difficult to deal with. The family realizes they need help. However, camel trainers are hard to find in Norway. Therefore, they decide to go to Mongolia, almost entirely across the globe. They hope to find a real camel trainer who can travel with them back to Arctic Norway.
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Torarin og familien rider kameler mens de leter etter en kameltrener i Mongolia
Deep within the vast Gobi Desert, they live in a Ger (a kind of tent that camel nomads use as a dwelling) along with the Adiyatseren family who has 140 camels and many other animals as goats, sheep and horses.
They talk to several camel trainers in the area. Most of them are skeptical about having camels "almost at the North Pole", but before they return to Norway, they are fortunately given a "yes" from one of the coaches. However, Torarin and the family are not fully prepared for the Mongolian training methods.
"The Arctic camels" is a unique and exotic film story with children and animals in focus. It tells a fairy tale that is almost unbelievable, but it´s actually a documentary that tells the true story of the world's northernmost camels.
The film depicts the close relationship between children and animals and between adults and children in different cultures. It´s characterized by a general feel-good mood and treats values such as empathy, animal welfare and how to deal with cultural inequalities.