Old men and their dogs in The Truffle Hunters

When a younger truffle hunter asks Aurelio to share his secret places, the 84-year-old refuses and gives him advice. “You have to go with a dog,” he says. “A good dog or a bad dog – better with a good dog. If you don’t trust your dog, you shouldn’t go looking for truffles. ”Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s documentary film 2020, The truffle hunters, looks at a handful of old men and their good dogs whose life revolves around the edible underground mushrooms that can sell for up to $ 1,500 ₹1.1 lakh) a pound.

In 1985 Italy banned the use of pigs for truffle hunting. They were replaced by dogs, who had the advantage of not wanting to eat the truffle after they had sniffed it. The documentary is set in Italy’s picturesque Piedmont region, home of the legendary white truffle or Trifola d’Alba Madonna (truffle of the Madonna from Alba). It introduces us to men who have found truffles all their lives. None of them seem to have children. Their childlike bonds are with their dogs, who are part or all of their families.

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There is Sergio, who gets into the tub to bathe his not-too-enthusiastic little dog. There is Aurelio who shares a dining table and bowl with Birba – his main worry is what will happen to her when he dies. Aurelio is approached to sell them and asks the man, who asks if he would sell him one of his children if he would give him cash. The dogs reciprocate this love, nudge their owners for attention in conversation, throw themselves body and soul into the truffle hunt.

The film begins on a wooded slope. Little by little we recognize the three figures: two dogs scurrying around and a man who drives them. Soon a treasure will be unearthed – an inconspicuous, mud-covered lump with a diameter of maybe ten centimeters. Later in the film, we are shown exactly how valuable this is. The hunters sell to middlemen who pass it on to restaurants and wealthy gourmets – such a transaction costs 4,500 euros ( ₹3.8 lakh) for one kilo. The social divide yawns: the hunters are simply dressed, peasants (albeit wealthy); the suppliers wear suits and live in well-appointed houses. It is significant that we never see the hunters eating the truffles they find while both suppliers do (one does so in a ritual way that tells us a lot about the cultural cache and the astronomical price of the mushrooms) .

Dweck and Kershaw directed, wrote, directed and produced the film. The framing and the use of light have a precision that corresponds to the codified, formal truffle trade. Still, there are moments when we feel the thrill of the hunt. The first arrives after about 30 minutes. We sit in the car with Sergio and his dogs and drive to a promising place. The camera shakes for the first time. The soundtrack is heavy with panting. It takes a few seconds before you realize that the camera is not being hand-held but is connected to the dog. Then we get out of the car, screeching through the bushes and mud, driven by the smell. For a few seconds it’s like we’re there Leviathan, the deep-sea trawler film that pioneered the use of a GoPro camera.

The truffle hunters was shot over three years. “We realized that time is our friend,” said Kershaw diversity. “Sometimes we shot, on other days we didn’t shoot anything.” The formal beauty and immersion in a subculture are reminiscent of the films by Italian director Gianfranco Rosi. Although less political than Rosi’s work, the film argues for peasant traditions, for the value of human experience, and for the attachment to the land and its people in the face of corporate greed and apathy. The scenes with the hunters at home – making wine, playing the drums, celebrating their dog’s birthday – are contrasted with the slightly ridiculous details of a truffle “tasting” (although it actually smells) and a fancy auction. Anything to do with trading is easily suspect. The sober auctioneer has the looks and discerning palate of a Bond villain. When a younger salesman tries to slip a couple of copies to a customer in a dark alley, it’s like a drug deal is going on.

Also read: Varda, Keaton and the joys of cinematic trifle

Although it has a slight feeling of loss, this is a predominantly happy film of immense charm. It is based on the eccentricities of its aged protagonists – one smashes a tarantella, another furiously writes a letter on his typewriter. What is never doubted is their love for their canine companions. When Carlo is blessed in front of a congregation in the church, his dog Titina is standing next to him. The wild priest blesses him first and then says: “And may God preserve the dog’s sense of smell, which is precious and helps with the hunt.” Divine sanction for a good girl – who could ask for more?

The truffle hunters are in the BookMyShow stream.