THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS
****
Directors: Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
Screenplay: Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
Principal cast:
Aurelio Conterno
Carlo Gondola
Sergio Cauda
Piero Botto
Enrico Crippa
Gianfranco Curti
Country: Italy/Greece/USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 84 mins.
Australian release date: 18 February 2021.
The Truffle Hunters, a fly-on-the-wall documentary directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, is a slice-of-life filmed in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It is the hunting ground for one of the world’s rarest, most sought-after ‘earth-nuts’ - the white Alba truffle. They are rare because they have resisted any scientific effort to cultivate them, grow underground at the base of certain hardwood trees, and must be sniffed out by specially trained dogs. There was a time when truffle hunters used pigs, but the creatures also had a taste for the delicacy and destroyed the delicate bacteria needed for their reproduction when rooting them out. Alba truffles are described as having the most unforgettable flavour; if you’ve ever been lucky enough to try tagliatelle al tartufo nero, then you will have some idea of the complexity and uniqueness of the flavour of black truffles. The white variety is apparently many more times delicious… and is many times more expensive.
The unique skills of truffle hunting are conserved, in The Truffle Hunters, by a handful of elderly men who range in age from the late 60s to the late 80s. These men guard their secrets closely; only their faithful companions share them and not even their partners (only one of the hunters is married) know where they forage. So protective of their techniques and hunting grounds are they that they will often hunt at night so as not to leave a trail. Aurelio is an 84-year-old whose sole companion is his four-legged pal, Birba. He spends most of his time talking to his best friend, who he worries about constantly, and frets about who he will bequeath the animal to because he knows his days are numbered (the dogs are very valuable). Then there is Carlo, 87, whose dog Titina is also his constant companion. Even his wife Maria seems to take second place and spends most of her time calling out into the woods, imploring her husband to return home before he has an accident. And there’s Sergio, a relative youngster in his late 60s, who has two dogs, Fiona and Pepe, and who plays the drums in his down time. The animals are their means of survival in a world of diminishing truffles, due to climate change, deforestation and the lack of young blood willing to take up the hunt.
We learn that their dogs are also at constant risk of being poisoned by other, more ruthless hunters, determined to get their own hands on the delicacy and the huge financial rewards they bring. Kershaw and Dweck clearly show how truffle dealers make considerable profit from their ageing suppliers, who are not aware of their true value (plus, the price varies from day to day). They show us one exchange in which a buyer pays one of the hunters €550 for 350 grams of white truffle but which the dealer can on sell for around €4,500 per kilo. That said, you get the impression that these old men aren’t really in it for the money; their lives are rich because they are the keepers of tradition, of a type of life that will probably disappear when they do, and they are happy to live as they do. To them, money doesn’t mean a great deal.
The Truffle Hunters is a delight. There is no narration, just exquisitely filmed, quiet observation accompanied by a beautiful score. You are made to feel as if you have been invited into a very private world, where humans and animals connect and implicitly trust one-another. In a couple of enthralling scenes, the cameras are attached to one of the dogs (doggie-cam?) and we go foraging with it. Like the film, it takes you to unexpected places.
Screenplay: Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
Principal cast:
Aurelio Conterno
Carlo Gondola
Sergio Cauda
Piero Botto
Enrico Crippa
Gianfranco Curti
Country: Italy/Greece/USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 84 mins.
Australian release date: 18 February 2021.
The Truffle Hunters, a fly-on-the-wall documentary directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, is a slice-of-life filmed in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It is the hunting ground for one of the world’s rarest, most sought-after ‘earth-nuts’ - the white Alba truffle. They are rare because they have resisted any scientific effort to cultivate them, grow underground at the base of certain hardwood trees, and must be sniffed out by specially trained dogs. There was a time when truffle hunters used pigs, but the creatures also had a taste for the delicacy and destroyed the delicate bacteria needed for their reproduction when rooting them out. Alba truffles are described as having the most unforgettable flavour; if you’ve ever been lucky enough to try tagliatelle al tartufo nero, then you will have some idea of the complexity and uniqueness of the flavour of black truffles. The white variety is apparently many more times delicious… and is many times more expensive.
The unique skills of truffle hunting are conserved, in The Truffle Hunters, by a handful of elderly men who range in age from the late 60s to the late 80s. These men guard their secrets closely; only their faithful companions share them and not even their partners (only one of the hunters is married) know where they forage. So protective of their techniques and hunting grounds are they that they will often hunt at night so as not to leave a trail. Aurelio is an 84-year-old whose sole companion is his four-legged pal, Birba. He spends most of his time talking to his best friend, who he worries about constantly, and frets about who he will bequeath the animal to because he knows his days are numbered (the dogs are very valuable). Then there is Carlo, 87, whose dog Titina is also his constant companion. Even his wife Maria seems to take second place and spends most of her time calling out into the woods, imploring her husband to return home before he has an accident. And there’s Sergio, a relative youngster in his late 60s, who has two dogs, Fiona and Pepe, and who plays the drums in his down time. The animals are their means of survival in a world of diminishing truffles, due to climate change, deforestation and the lack of young blood willing to take up the hunt.
We learn that their dogs are also at constant risk of being poisoned by other, more ruthless hunters, determined to get their own hands on the delicacy and the huge financial rewards they bring. Kershaw and Dweck clearly show how truffle dealers make considerable profit from their ageing suppliers, who are not aware of their true value (plus, the price varies from day to day). They show us one exchange in which a buyer pays one of the hunters €550 for 350 grams of white truffle but which the dealer can on sell for around €4,500 per kilo. That said, you get the impression that these old men aren’t really in it for the money; their lives are rich because they are the keepers of tradition, of a type of life that will probably disappear when they do, and they are happy to live as they do. To them, money doesn’t mean a great deal.
The Truffle Hunters is a delight. There is no narration, just exquisitely filmed, quiet observation accompanied by a beautiful score. You are made to feel as if you have been invited into a very private world, where humans and animals connect and implicitly trust one-another. In a couple of enthralling scenes, the cameras are attached to one of the dogs (doggie-cam?) and we go foraging with it. Like the film, it takes you to unexpected places.