The relationship between humans and dogs goes back a long way. To a time when the world was more hostile and both species struggled for survival. Or at least, that's the thesis supported by the film Alpha.
Alpha is an adventure with a very epic feel, set in the territory we know today as Europe, more than 20,000 years ago. In other words, during the last ice age. The protagonist is a young man who, on his first hunt with the best hunters of his tribe, ends up injured and left for dead (or lost) by the rest of his companions. In those days, people probably weren't very considerate, and the rule was “every man for himself.” When the young man wakes up, he finds himself alone in the middle of an icy, rugged, hostile natural landscape. Far from stopping to take photos or upload a story to Instagram, as his modern-day successors would, Keda, as the boy is called, has only one goal: to survive. While trying to do so, he encounters a wolf that has suffered a similar fate: rejected by its pack, it wanders alone, consumed by despair. Thus, out of sheer necessity, they learn to trust and support each other. Little by little, their relationship grows closer. They become inseparable allies. And later, perhaps, friends, if the concept of friendship was possible in an era as harsh as we suppose the Ice Age must have been.
At this point, it's time to watch the movie trailer:
The film, directed by American Albert Hughes, is interesting. Its cinematography is breathtaking. And the “invented” language in which the film’s few dialogues were shot is, to say the least, curious. Is it accurate? Realistic? Given that there is still no unanimous theory about how this relationship arose, this feature film’s approach is perfectly valid and fits with the reality hypothesized in different studies. Among them, the most recent, published in Nature Communications, states that modern dogs may have originated from a single group of wolves domesticated in Europe around 40,000 years ago. This is inferred from the high degree of genetic elements shared by ancient and modern DNA samples. Another study, this time published in the journal Science, suggests that dogs were domesticated at two different times and from different wolf populations, in Europe and East Asia. In other words, there may have been two independent instances of domestication. If there is no scientific consensus, a film cannot be expected to shed definitive light on this question with a conclusive theory. Because, at the end of the day, that is what it is: a film. One that has taken the United States box office by storm, yes, but a film.
What can be asked of the film is that it entertain. It fulfills that without any problems. And that it makes us think or stirs some conscience. This story may not offer anything new to those of us who love pets and feel a deep respect for the animal world and, therefore, tend to stay informed and do research. But it is good that big productions of this kind continue to be made to raise awareness, especially among groups that still have doubts. If not about dogs, then about wolves. Let us remember that in Spain, for example, the view of the wolf that is still held in many areas is terrible. Perhaps if we remember that, thanks to them and the passing of thousands and thousands of years, we have our ARISTOPERROS today, things will change. Likewise, generating conversation is one of the few ways we have to ensure that our concerns regarding the animal world are taken into account in the inaccessible legislative sphere.