What dog is in Vicky and her mystery?

Vicky And Her Mystery (Mystère, in the original French) is a feel-good film to top off the festive season. It has an endearing and unshakeable animal-child bond at its core that is sure to melt hearts, and yet, despite the positives, there just isn’t enough in it to sustain a 90-minute narrative. The film runs almost like a documentary, with personal stories unfolding unobtrusively in the background, as the lens and music give life to the exquisite beauty of the Cantal mountains of Central France. A father-daughter duo has just moved to the hilly region, and things are strained on the personal front. Stéphane Dutel (Vincent Elbaz) and his eight-year-old, Victoria (Shanna Keil), occupy a near-deserted cabin in an effort to put the pieces back after the passing of the latter’s mother. The young girl remains tight-lipped, barely uttering a word for the first fifteen minutes of the story. All her father’s efforts at engagement are met with a resigned silence. It is clear she is struggling to cope with her mother’s loss, being unable to communicate her feelings properly.

Stéphane tries to bring her out of her shell by proposing a trek. She doesn’t respond, but as soon as he’s about to set off on his own, she puts on her shoes and joins him. It is the first moment of life we see in the girl, as the father and daughter take in the great expanse of their surroundings. After a considerable amount of trekking, they realise they’re lost, and Stéphane seeks assistance from a solitary house; there is no form of habitation for miles. The man offers them water and helps them get back to their car. Victoria discovers a young puppy sleeping in a bucket of straw in the barn. The man tells her that his name is Mystère, and that he is a gift from the forest. He encourages her to keep the animal. Without her father’s knowledge, she smuggles the pup back home in her backpack.

Director – Denis Imbert

Cast – Vincent Elbaz, Shanna Keil, Marie Gillain, Eric Elmosnino, Tchéky Karyo 

Streaming On – Netflix 

Several aspects work in favour of the film, such as the cinematography, the music, the realistic way in which the bouncy pup is able to bring Victoria out of her shell (something her surgeon-father is unable to do), and the general portrayal of the animal-human bond. What the narrative suffers from is the absence of adequate conflict. We first have the group of armed and agitated farmers who view the large population of wolves in the region as a major threat, and then there’s the whole conservation angle at play too (no matter how well you’re able to rear a wild animal in a domesticated environment, such a creature doesn’t belong in one’s home), but they aren’t enough to sustain the story. It was expected that the animal would be released into the wild (much to the child’s protestations) only to escape whichever sanctuary it was relegated to for an obvious reunion. The shooting and its aftermath can be seen from a mile away as well. We keep seeing the farmers scouring acres of the region speaking of “lone wolf this” and “lone wolf that”; it is only a matter of time before a weapon goes off at the wrong place and time.

Vicky And Her Mystery works perfectly well if you’re content with watching the minute nuances of animal-human behaviour. Seeing Vicky make it out of her grief-filled depression thanks to an animal who communicates in a variety of ways apart from speech, is reassuring, no doubt. It will be an endearing and engaging film for anyone who either has animals or has spent a significant amount of time with them. The overwhelming message coming through (with Victoria understanding that she has to let Mystère go for him to fulfil his true potential as a wolf) is that a wild animal’s rightful place is not with humans, but with their own kind.

In spite of the 'aww' factor that Vicky And Her Mystery brings to the table, this film, inspired by true events, falls short because there aren’t enough elements to keep it going. It works better as a documentary, but as a work of fiction, it sure needs more to sustain itself. With the music, the stunning photography and the overall message, it makes it to an average score.

The contrast of the beautiful landscapes with a violent act heightens how man can destroy the world and that nature should be left alone.

We meet Stéphane and Victoria, who are moving into their spooky but cute new home. Vicky isn’t speaking, she is just listening to her late mothers’ playlist. Stéphane is clearly trying and takes Vicky on a hike.

On this hike we are witness to more stunning scenery, and of course, they get lost. They find themselves at the mercy of a local who helps them and keeps them warm. On his land Vicky finds the lost little puppy curled up in a basket. The gentleman states that this one is special and that the puppy is called Mystery.

The gentleman drives Victoria and Stéphane home. Vicky hasn’t told her dad, but she has decided to keep Mystery and hides him in her room for days before Stéphane finds out. A bit dubious, he eventually allows Vicky to keep the dog. He can tell she is happier, and she’s now speaking!

As Mystery grows, people are drawn to him, one new friend of the family, a local vet, states that she thinks Mystery is a wolf, and they are not well-liked because of the fact they kill the livestock.

We cut to two men tracking a wolf – this wolf is clearly the mother of Mystery looking for her baby. The wolf comes close to Victoria’s house. The two men (farmers) follow and become suspicious.

Vicky and Her Mystery ending

Whilst walking through the woods the family and Mystery come face to face with the wolf. Mystery goes back to Victoria and the mother wolf runs away. Because of this encounter, they take Mystery to the local vet who states that Mystery is in fact a pure grey wolf and needs to either be released or taken to a sanctuary.

Heartbroken, the father creates a giant doghouse to hide Mystery and keep him safe. However, the farmers know, and Mystery is taken away. Victoria becomes very introverted again. There is a local meeting and Stéphane takes Victoria to teach her how the wolves are dangerous. This clearly has no effect because Mystery escapes and comes looking for Victoria, his pack, and Victoria and Mystery leave and head into the wilderness to find Mystery’s wolf pack.

Stéphane learns that his daughter is missing from school and goes to find her. He is met by Mystery who leads him to a cold and tired Victoria. In a storm, they find the gentleman from before who takes them in and looks after them for the night. Victoria admits that she wanted to save Mystery and that she feels like she has failed.

We cut to hunters, hunting Mystery. Mystery is running to the house, as Victoria runs to him, the farmer shoots Mystery, causing him to fall and Victoria to break down crying on him. The farmer is shocked as he could have shot Victoria. Stéphane punches the farmer in the face and the farmer leaves the scene. The good thing to come of this is that the farmers now will not hunt the wolves and have understood their poor decisions.

Mystery is badly hurt, being taken inside and cared for, he makes a miraculous recovery. Mystery can be reunited with his wolf family, with Victoria saying a very heartfelt goodbye. There are beautiful scenes of the wolf family playing in the snow, representing freedom and the importance of being kind and being with family.

The end credits show a real photo of the real Vicky and Mystery today, which is a beautiful way to end the film.

You can stream Vicky and Her Mystery exclusively on Netflix. Do you have any thoughts about the Vicky and Her Mystery ending? Let us know in the comments.

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