Movie #12: Alpha

The trailer for Alpha really caught my attention, so I was thrilled when my local library got it in. I love movies with animals.

It takes place in Europe thousands of years ago. A chief of a tribe goes on a hunting party to prepare for winter. His son, Keda is finally ready to join the hunt, despite the fears of his mother about her only son going on this dangerous trek. He leads with his heart and is not a killer.

Keda gets tattoo just like his dad's of the stars, which was essentially a map home.

Off they go and the first night, Keda's only other new fellow hunter gets attacked and eaten by a lion.

They finally track down a very large herd of buffalo and they plan their attack. They charge the buffalo, which causes the animals to have nowhere to run other than off a cliff.

As Keda tosses a spear and hits a buffalo. The buffalo gets mad and charges Keda. It tosses Keda up and off the cliff. His father is devastated and sees that Keda has landed on a little ledge. His father keeps vigil up above it night and day, but Keda never moves. The rest of the tribe processes the buffalo meat. When they're done, they go to their chief and tell him that they all must leave and head home before winter. Keda still hasn't moved, so they know that he's died. His dad makes a little stone memorial for him. His father leaves devastated.

Keda hasn't moved since his fall over a day and a half before. Suddenly, he awakens. He realizes he's on a ledge on a sheer face of a cliff, hundreds of feet above the ground with less than 100 feet from the top. Vultures try to eat him, which Keda fights off. He tries to scale to the top, but it's too hard. He awakes one day to rain; torrential rain. It washes away the buffalo carcasses, trees, and everything else. It washes Keda down into the flood. The current carries him, but eventually he makes it to dry ground.

He uses his tattoo to guide him the very long journey home. Animals try to attack him along the way. While being attacked by wolves, he injures one. Since it can't continue with the pack, it sticks around. Over time, they become friends. Keda learns to hunt and make a fire. The trek home is so long!

Keda falls into a frozen lake and nearly dies. His wolf friend, Alpha tries to help. There's a blizzard, so without his warm clothes, Keda becomes sick and weaker. On the way home, Alpha disappears with a pack of wolves, but comes back.

They arrive at a tent, to find it's owner frozen to death. Onward they journey.

Winter is so harsh, it seems impossible that they'll ever make it home. Both Keda and Alpha have grown so weak and thin.

Against all odds, they make it home to Keda's village. His mom is shocked and so happy to see he's alive. He begs her to take care of Alpha who has collapsed. Turns out Alpha is a female who is having puppies! Keda's parents are so happy to have Keda home.