With the world descending additional and additional into an everyone-for-themselves mentality, it’s troublesome to not register the social darwinism on the heart of our human impulse. Simply as society constructed an financial system whereby we will keep our place amongst the meals chain, so too have we grown a winner-take-all philosophy that not solely permits, however encourages us to ignore issues like nature or old-world custom, in order that we might as an alternative deal with no matter job we should accomplish to be able to come out on prime — whether or not that be slicing down the Amazon or forcing animals into extinction.
Whereas there are particular international energy components that create such an setting, what the part-nature/part-human documentary “Snow Leopard Sisters” shortly reveals us that these energy performs exist even at a really intimate stage. Usually although, it’s at this stage the place groundbreaking change can really happen, as makes an attempt at altering a system are inclined to really feel extra like holding a wave from crashing in on you. That is the battle that faces one half of the duo on the heart of the movie, Tshiring Lhama Lama, a Nepalese conservationist whose house area of Dolpo within the Himalayan Mountains can be refuge to a number of the final remaining snow leopards on the planet. Although estimates declare there are nonetheless 90 snow leopards nonetheless residing in Dolpo, as Tshiring works to maintain observe of them all through the documentary, concern grows that the precise determine could also be far much less, suggesting a attainable extinction-level occasion.
Why are the variety of snow leopard sightings dwindling to such a level? Because it seems, others have taken up occupation round these wild animals and are going to excessive lengths to stake out their declare. Tshiring means that this isn’t uncommon, as she herself grew up residing on this area and is not any stranger to the group of goat herders who roam its terrain. What’s modified is the animosity they now have in the direction of the snow leopards, largely because of them slaughtering the means by which these people and households survive. In a single notably horrifying incident, one household of herders misplaced over 40 of their inventory, a truth that may contribute to the demise of 1 little one, which then prompted the daddy to go mad and be despatched to jail. The surviving little one, Tenzen, is the opposite focus of “Snow Leopard Sisters” and half of the mentor/mentee relationship the movie finally begins to comply with.
For as sturdy as Tshiring’s ardour for the snow leopard is, her biggest concern is that her fear is falling on deaf ears. In spite of everything, who cares about lower than 100 wild animals in some distant area of the Himalayas? As Tshiring works to speak the significance of steadiness in nature and the way the snow leopard has contributed to this steadiness, she’s additionally confronted with the prevailing knowledge of the time, which promotes treating these animals like legendary beasts who must be taken down. That is the message unfold even by spiritual figures like monks, lots of whom Tshiring and Tenzen face down as they work to upend pre-conceived notions.
Although Tshiring makes her frustrations identified throughout these conversations, both visibly or verbally, Tenzen largely takes all of it in, as her duty is to soak up what it means to be a conservationist. That being stated, her motives for accepting a mentorship with Tshiring have much less to do with an curiosity within the snow leopard and extra to do with escaping the setting she was born into. Together with her sister useless and father in jail, Tenzen’s grandfather is now pushing for her to be married off to a cousin regardless of solely being 17 years previous. Even in distant an space because the Himalayas, that is nonetheless frowned upon, but Tenzen is barely in a position to voice her anxiousness through the direct-to-camera confessions employed by the manufacturing. Fortunately, Tenzen is ready to have the marriage delayed two weeks whereas Tshiring takes her on a coaching expedition, the concept being that sooner or later, she and her household might make the most of a number of the methods she learns to stop future snow leopard assaults and develop to dwell in concord with them.
What Tshiring is aiming to point out to not solely Tenzen, however your entire group of herders who dwell all through the area, is that folks needn’t worry the snow leopard and that their presence doesn’t have to face in the best way of their livelihood. Even Tshiring herself is prepared to seek for these supposed “monsters” whereas on the similar time caring for her toddler son, a sign to all that the hazard is barely of their heads. Having been introduced up along with her personal fear round these creatures, the follow of unlearning additionally permits Tenzen to contemplate her personal voice in issues that heretofore appeared out of her management. On the finish of the day, each her and Tshiring’s narratives are certain with that of the snow leopard’s in that all of them know no different land than this one and are all simply making an attempt to exist on this area as finest they’ll.
Directed by Tshiring’s sister, Sonam Choekyi Lama, in addition to Ben Ayers and Andrew Lynch, “Snow Leopard Sisters” exists as each a surprising nature doc that captures unbelievable vistas and up-close-and-personal appears on the violence snow leopards are able to, in addition to an intimate portrayal of two opposites coming collectively to realize a mission that appears past themselves, however truly speaks to what drives their particular person sense of empathy and compassion. Maybe what’s most revealing is that communities just like the one Tenzen is part of nonetheless exist and achieve this with out lots of the similar fashionable comforts we as a society have grow to be certain by. Although the remainder of us tout our technological innovation as a show of our personal development as a species, maybe what “Snow Leopard Sisters” contends is that we’re all no higher than the snow leopard and if we want to not be worn out, we should begin working to co-exist moderately than lay declare over what we predict is ours.
Grade: B
“Snow Leopard Sisters” premiered at SXSW 2025. It’s presently searching for U.S. distribution.
Need to keep updated on IndieWire’s movie evaluations and important ideas? Subscribe right here to our newly launched publication, In Evaluation by David Ehrlich, during which our Chief Movie Critic and Head Critiques Editor rounds up the perfect new evaluations and streaming picks together with some unique musings — all solely out there to subscribers.