SummaryExperiential cinema in its purest form, Gunda chronicles the unfiltered lives of a mother pig, a flock of chickens, and a herd of cows with masterful intimacy. Using stark, transcendent black and white cinematography and the farm's ambient soundtrack, director Victor Kossakowsky invites the audience to slow down and experience life as his subject... Read More
Directed By:Victor Kossakovsky
Written By:Victor Kossakovsky, Ainara Vera
Gunda
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
89
User score
Generally Favorable
7.2
My Score
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Metascore
Universal Acclaim
96% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
4% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 16, 2021
100
Even those resistant to Gunda’s vegetarian message would be hard-pressed to describe these creatures cavalierly having witnessed these exquisitely framed, highly meditative moments. We see life within these beings, and we witness their undeniable will to live. And it’s beautiful. Gunda is truly one of a kind.
Apr 29, 2021
100
Gunda is one of the most immersive and eye-widening documentaries I’ve ever seen.
User score
Generally Favorable
74% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
13% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
13% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Apr 17, 2021
9
A meditation on the lives of pigs, chickens and cows. Beautiful black and white photography renders the life experience of farm animals into a dreamlike reality. Without the filter of narration, editorial judgement is reserved for the viewer. A singular cinematic experience. Immersive, empathic, heartbreaking.
Aug 24, 2023
8
I found it as devastating as Andrea Arnold's Cow, although this one is much more focused on a more ethereal and artistic style. That does not diminish its overall impact. Very good.
Apr 23, 2021
90
Viktor Kossakovsky’s mesmerizing documentary Gunda still serves as a bracing corrective to the way animals are usually portrayed on film. Its earthy radiance reminds us of what we’ve been missing in our need to see ourselves in these creatures, instead of seeing them as themselves.
Nov 24, 2020
90
No party-line screed, Gunda is a soul-stirring meditation on some of our most underappreciated fellow earthlings. For many viewers, it could well be life-changing too.
Jun 7, 2021
80
Full of fascinating behavioural insights and moments that are both hilarious and adorable, this studied treatise on the personality and emotionality of domestic animals should provide plentiful food for thought.
Apr 22, 2021
75
Rare are the moments where the frame features no human-made structures or clearings, but the animals are presented so wondrously and tenderly that anything remotely human begins to feel unnatural.
Jun 6, 2021
60
To call the film meditative would be to undersell Kosakovskiy’s instinct for drama and tension.
Mar 28, 2021
8
This is a poetic take on animal life. Director Victor Kossakovsky lets us see a family of pigs, some cows, and a one-legged chicken in their own complex world. No music, no narration, just the everyday life of these beings. 'Gunda' is funny, sad, and solemn. The final scene is just heartbreaking. If you love animals, you need to see this.
Production Company:
- Artemis Rising Foundation
- Empathy Arts
- Fritt Ord Foundation
- Hailstone Films
- Louverture Films
- MEDIA Programme of the European Union
- Norsk Filminstitutt (NFI)
- Sant & Usant
- Storyline Studios
Release Date:Dec 11, 2020
Duration:1 h 33 m
Rating:G
Website:
Awards
CinEuphoria Awards
• 2 Wins & 5 Nominations
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
• 5 Nominations
