The Truffle Hunters
Men and dogs form a deep attachment when they function together to unearth white truffles in Northern Italy.
With this beautifully photographed documentary Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw open the door onto a world few of us will know. Theirs can be considered a little film for it is a small world that they reveal: that of men who, living in Piedmont in Italy and served by devoted dogs, hunt for the Alba white truffles that can be found in the region. These truffles fetch a huge price from restaurant owners whose clientele favour such delicacies but, judging by the men seen in this film, the hunters are in the main elderly folk who ply the trade to maintain a tradition. We do hear complaints about newcomers who participate out of greed, but those who have devoted their lives to this work and who may now be a dying breed regard it all as a labour of love.
In theory, this subject matter might be viewed as something hardly likely to sustain a full feature film, even one like this which comes in at 84 minutes and it is the case that what is portrayed here offers no particular shape or arc on which the filmmaker can rely. In the event, though, these doubts prove irrelevant because The Truffle Hunters is a richer work than it might sound. If the novelty value of the material is a decided asset, so too is the high quality of the colour photography by Dweck and Kershaw. Furthermore, the people no less than the location are quintessentially Italian, a fact which will attract all viewers possessed of a love of Italy. Yet another element adding to the film’s appeal lies in the fact that the hunters are so deeply bonded with the dogs that enable them to find the truffles. What we see of this is enormously endearing because it is presented so naturally: there is no sense whatever of it being manipulated to attract the viewer. It’s an approach that makes it a delight and in no way a contrivance when we see an owner celebrating a birthday and then realise that it is not his birthday but that of his dog.
The lifestyle captured in this film is seen to be very male-orientated. One hunter has a wife who worries about him continuing with this work at the age of 87, but most of these men live alone albeit with a closeness to their dogs which eliminates any feeling of loneliness. When it comes to a scene depicting the eating of a dish of truffles, the films captures the sense of it being savoured by a connoisseur and the scene is tellingly accompanied by a recording of Caruso singing ‘E lucevan le stelle’. But it is the men and their dogs rather than the truffles that are at the heart of The Truffle Hunters. However modest its scale, it is a genuinely loving work and at a time when documentaries abound there is nothing else quite like it.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Piero Botto, Sergio Cauda, Maria Cicciù, Aurelio Conterno, Gianfranco Curti, Angelo Gagliardi, Egidio Gagliardi, Carlo Gondola, Carlo Gonella, Paolo Stacchini and the dogs Birba, Biri, Charlie, Fiona, Nina, Titina and Yari.
Dirs Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, Pro Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, Ex Pro Luca Guadagnino, Screenplay Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, Ph Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, Ed Charlotte Munch Bengtsen, Music Ed Côrtes.
Beautiful Stories/Artemis Rising Foundation/Bow and Arrow Entertainment/Faliro House Productions-Sony Pictures.
84 mins. Italy/Greece/USA. 2020. Rel: 9 July 2021. Cert. 12A.