The Arctic Camels / Kamel

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When Torarin (9) and his sister Svalin (12) ask their father for horses, they instead get a pair of Bactrian (two-humped) camels named Bor and Bestia. To find camels living within the Arctic Circle is certainly somewhat eccentric, but then the Sætereng family is also somewhat eccentric, living an isolated, alternative lifestyle with a plan to train Bor and Bestia as tourist attractions. When the animals do not cooperate they set off on an family expedition to Mongolia to find a professional trainer willing to travel back to Norway with them. In the Gobi desert they meet a suitable candidate, Adiya Adiyatseren, but are shocked by Mongolian training methods. Torarin, who narrates in voiceover throughout in winning style, doesn’t like the fact that the Mongolians drive a stick through the camel’s septum at the onset of training, and once back in Norway Adiya does not spare Bor and Bestia, who prove more difficult to subdue than their Mongolian cousins! Will Torarin ever get to ride Bor? Set against the contrasting landscapes of Norway and Mongolia, The Arctic Camels is a charming family documentary which sheds light on the endless potential for human relationships with animals - even grumpy, humpy ones.