Véronique Lapied

A mountain landscape, and in the distance, a tiny dot with two gigantic horns. This is the realm of the Alpine Ibex. Our film tells the life story of Buck, a single dominant male. The film opens with his dying moments in Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park, in the shadow of the same summit that witnessed his birth. In the flashbacks that follow, we relive the most important moments of his life.

The marmot is a beloved and iconic animal of the Alps, known for its chubby figure and entertaining demeanor. In the film, we follow the life of Mox, a young male who emerges from his burrow at 6500 feet altitude for the first time after four weeks of being born. He has a limited window of time to build up enough fat reserves to survive his six-month hibernation underground. During this period, Mox engages in playful activities with his peers, mutual grooming, and feasts on succulent plants. He also learns to identify the scent of each colony member, the peaceful presence of chamois and ibex, and the dangers that lurk above. When Mox wakes up the following year from hibernation, he is exhausted, emaciated, and vulnerable to predators such as eagles, foxes, and wolves that still roam the snow and avalanche-covered slopes.

Colin is 9 years old and he is a little city dweller like the others. However, the activity of his grandparents, animal filmmakers, intrigues him. On his days off, he goes up to see them in the heart of Gran Paradiso National Park. It is then another school that awaits him. Colin learns to be discreet, to recognize tracks, to walk with crampons, to bivouac at altitude. A beautiful family bond is formed. But an animal is missing. To see it, the young boy puts his grandfather to the test.