Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
Shares rank 15 of 17 documentary films by recommenders
People recommend it for showing seasons and practical work in the taiga, and prefer the original cut. Critics say Herzog's edit lost accuracy.
People recommend it for showing seasons and practical work in the taiga, and prefer the original cut. Critics say Herzog's edit lost accuracy.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Rewatched; original cut preferred
“I like that one as well. I just rewatched it again.”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “What does Werner Herzog's nihilist penguin teach us about life?” “I liked the original even more once I found it”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “What does Werner Herzog's nihilist penguin teach us about life?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Herzog's edit lost accuracy
“I liked the original even more once I found it”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “What does Werner Herzog's nihilist penguin teach us about life?” “He made it A LOT worse, sadly.”
Comment from 6 Nov 2025 in “Why aren't smart people happier?”
Other documentary films people recommend
The four most recommended other documentary films, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You Can See Everything | 39 | 30 | 57% | 2 | — | — |
| The Thinking Game | 15 | 8 | 65% | 3 | — | — |
| HyperNormalisation by Adam Curtis | 14 | 1 | 93% | 7 | — | Approved |
| It's Quieter in the Twilight | 12 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Happy People: A Year in the TaigaThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“he lost a lot of accuracy by forcing it to tell the story he wanted it to tell”
“I liked the original even more once I found it”
“I like that one as well. I just rewatched it again.”
“I also love how it shows the seasons and the practical work involved in the lives of people living in the taiga through the year.”
“Most of the people are doing immediate purposeful work and are much more present.”
“It is absolutely glorious.”
“He made it A LOT worse, sadly.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.