Alpha, Review: Man and his best friend surviving in the Ice Age

It’s not a dog who is man’s best friend in Alpha, but a wolf given that name by Keda, a young man who lived in Upper Paleolithic Europe 20,000 years ago. He is the son of the Chief of a small tribe of hunter-gatherers that hunts bison in the steppes every year, to store meat for the coming winter. Boring history and a geography channel lesson? Banish the thought. Alpha is a classy movie that ranks among the best seen in this year, so far.

The tribe’s chief, Tau, trains his son for the hunt, as a rite of passage, teaching him how to make fire by churning a pointed rod on a stone, and to navigate the way to and fro the hunting grounds, using the stars, as well as some signs left by ancestors, who treaded the paths before them. Tau tries to teach Keda that only the strongest survive by having him kill a caught boar, but Keda refuses. In doing so, she proves his mother right, for she was sceptical about taking him on the hunt, saying, “He thinks from his heart, not his mind”.

As the hunt begins, the hunters discover a herd of bison grazing on a cliff, and decide to corner them. Keda tries to attack one, but it retaliates by throwing him over the cliff. Keda tries to hang on to a ledge, but loses his grip and falls to a lower one, where he breaks his foot and is knocked unconscious by the impact. Tau keeps calling desperately to him, but the other hunters convince him to leave Keda, and move on, for the sake of the tribe's survival, since heavy snowfall is almost due.

Keda is awakened when a vulture pecks at him. He calls out for his father, but receives no response. Then, when it begins to rain, the ravine below floods. Keda jumps into the water and is washed up on the bank, where he creates a splint for his broken foot. He travels back to the cliff, where he discovers a stone memorial set (customary rite) for him by Tau, realising he has been presumed dead, and must head back to the tribe's village by himself. He soon gets the company of a wolf, who first fights and injures, then befriends.

On paper, the story (Albert Hughes) reads like any other adventure, the only change being the locale and the period. But it is the screenplay by Dan(iele) Sebastian Wiedenhaupt Daniele and director Albert Hughes, developed over Skype calls between Los Angeles, where Wiedenhaupt lived, and Hughes’ home base of Prague, Czech Republic (an American, Hughes lives in Prague since 2014) that turns the skeletal script into an engaging and touching screenplay.

You can read many allegories as the chapters unfold: early man killed only to eat, the dog families have been man’s best friends for 20,000 years, friendship means sacrificing and caring, coming of age includes survival of the fittest through overpowering violence and killing of the adversary, an animal (pet?) should know that man is the master and he will eat first, in a battle (with prehistoric weapons), there will always be deaths among both sides, stars and ancestors are our guiding lights, hunters and gatherers of ancient times were more intelligent than we are told by history books and media, and more.

Point is, most of these theories and applications ring true even in the present day world: Dog (weak nations) is still man’s (strong nations) best friend, nations send in their troops to fight battles for weaker nations and send them food supplies too, in contests as in hunting as in battles, it will be survival of the fittest and the one with more and mass destructive weapons, nations must be reminded that a few of the powerful ones are the real masters of the world, collateral damage on both sides is something you cannot evade, we use the collective knowledge of our ancestors and of the earth to fashion lives and fight our battles, and fighting/killing are innate among us, though they are usually suppressed by logic and upbringing. I take no names, but you can apply this to the last 2,000 years, especially to the last 500 years, and you will find the events in Alpha repeating themselves many times over, in various nations and settlements, from the colonising of the Red Indians’ America to Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.

Albert Hughes has directed many films with his twin brother Allen:

Menace II Society (1993)

Dead Presidents (1995)

American Pimp (1999) – documentary

From Hell (2001)

The Book of Eli (2010)

Alpha, the first letter of the Greek Alphabet is represented in English as A. It is symbolic of a beginning, a first. It is Albert’s first film alright. (This is the first time Alfred has gone solo, eight years after his brother Allen took that step). Boy, this is some debut. Perhaps Hughes also wants us to believe that the story he has written marks the beginning of the human habit of keeping pets and letting them know who their master is. Good use of 3D and a taut screenplay that nevertheless unfolds very, very slowly, so that the twists hit you hard. It is not easy viewing, what with no comic relief and no filmy heroes and the bleakest of landscapes. Its 95 minutes length takes longer to pass than you might like, but be patient, as is stressed on screen as well, and you are in for some great use of the cinema medium. Those twists mentioned above come as sudden flashes, repeated black-outs and rapid cut-aways. We do see Hughes getting indulgent as he brings two tribes and their leaders striking misleading aggressive poses, and the end consists of three scenes, not one, but such lapses are rare.

Music by Joseph S. DeBeasi is in keeping with the theme as well as unobtrusive; Cinematography by Martin Gschlacht is very impressive, albeit a shade uneven. In a few shots, the 3D meddles with the focus, and the foreground and background get muddled. However, the long track pan span and copter shots are truly breath-taking. Editing by Sandra Granovsky is as economical as they come. Though the film had the makings of a historical epic, she makes it more palatable by sticking to the bare, rugged theme, like an adhesive. Hardly any shot is loose or unnecessary, and not much time is spent on creating ambiences. Going by the norm, Hughes casts Scandinavian actors in the main roles, the region being a favourite when it comes to casting for most Biblical and prehistoric subjects.

Kodi Smit-McPhee (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool 2) plays the son, Keda, and lives the role. Not to be outdone are his parents, Leonor Varela (Chilean; Blade II, Tailor of Panama, Captive) and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (half Icelandic, half Faroese, born and raised in Hafnarfjörður; Noah). Jens Charley Hultén (Swedish: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Skyfall) as Xi provides adequate support in a brief role. Chuck (Czechoslovakian Vlcak) as Alpha, the wolf, would be in the running for an Oscar, if only he was human, could express his feelings through his face and speak any human language. Incidentally, what language is used in the film? We have words like Ayya for home father and Mana for home (all sub-titled) both found in Indian language dictionaries Pat on the back to Chuck’ s trainers and the director.

A PG13 rating is apt in this case, for there is more than ‘Some intense peril’.

Alpha is not a film to enjoy. There are many thrills and emotional moments, in spite of that, it not entertain you at all. Yet, it is a highly commendable effort, one that students of cinema and audiences familiar with some basics of film appreciation behind them will like best.

Rating: *** ½

Trailer: https://youtu.be/SlL_6bDSd8E