Howard Schumann
10-11-2004, 10:40 AM
Seen at the Vancouver International Film Festival
TRAVELLERS AND MAGICIANS
Directed by Khyentse Norbu (2003)
"...always dreaming of the future, never his mind on WHERE HE WAS! Humph! WHAT HE WAS DOING!" - Yoda, the Jedi master
In Travellers and Magicians, Tibetan Buddhist director Khyentse Norbu spins two parallel stories that deliver one message -- happiness can be discovered simply by being in the present moment. Picking up from his internationally acclaimed feature, The Cup, Norbu's second film is filled with gentle humor, gorgeous scenery and music, and astute observations of the foibles of human nature. Shot entirely in Dzongkha, Bhutan, a tiny country of 700,000 people in Central Asia, Norbu assembled a cast of non-actors including a monk, a banking executive, and a government researcher, and all perform with distinction. In the first story, a young university graduate working in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan longs for a more exciting life in America but discovers the quiet places in his mind when he misses the bus to his first destination. The second tale is about a young student of magic who also seeks to escape his mundane life in his rural village but must confront passion and jealousy when he loses his way in a forest.
Dondup, a government officer, played by former Bhutan producer Tshewang Dendup, wears Nikes, sports a T-shirt that says I love New York, listens to rock music on his portable stereo, and has walls cluttered with pictures of scantily clad Caucasian women. He says he would rather pick apples in America than continue to live in his isolated village. When Dondup receives the letter he had been waiting for, he packs his suitcases and sets off for greener pastures but misses the bus and is forced to hitch a ride on the mountain road. There he meets other travelers: an aged apple peddler (Apo Dochu), a Buddhist monk (Sonam Kingu), a rice paper seller and his lovely nineteen-year old daughter Sonam (Sonam Lhamo). As they wait for the next vehicle to arrive, they listen to a story serenely told by the Buddhist monk.
In the fable, the restless Tashi (Lhakpa Dorji) is tricked by his brother to enter a world of magic and illusion. Leaving his village on a magic horse, he becomes lost in the woods but is rescued by an old farmer. When he discovers his passion for the farmer's seductive young wife Deki (Deki Yangzom), however, he must deal with dark emotions beyond his experience. Travellers and Magicians has a natural beauty and charm and tells an important message - that we can be very happy just by being aware of and handling what is in front of us. As the poet Shakyamuni put it, "One who…clearly grasps the present deepens his state of life". If you are not fond of spiritual messages, however, you can simply enjoy the stories and the natural wonders of a pristine land before, as Norbu says, "there are 200 McDonalds, 100 Burger Kings, 100 Starbucks, 50 KFCs, polluted water, and deforestation".
GRADE: A-
TRAVELLERS AND MAGICIANS
Directed by Khyentse Norbu (2003)
"...always dreaming of the future, never his mind on WHERE HE WAS! Humph! WHAT HE WAS DOING!" - Yoda, the Jedi master
In Travellers and Magicians, Tibetan Buddhist director Khyentse Norbu spins two parallel stories that deliver one message -- happiness can be discovered simply by being in the present moment. Picking up from his internationally acclaimed feature, The Cup, Norbu's second film is filled with gentle humor, gorgeous scenery and music, and astute observations of the foibles of human nature. Shot entirely in Dzongkha, Bhutan, a tiny country of 700,000 people in Central Asia, Norbu assembled a cast of non-actors including a monk, a banking executive, and a government researcher, and all perform with distinction. In the first story, a young university graduate working in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan longs for a more exciting life in America but discovers the quiet places in his mind when he misses the bus to his first destination. The second tale is about a young student of magic who also seeks to escape his mundane life in his rural village but must confront passion and jealousy when he loses his way in a forest.
Dondup, a government officer, played by former Bhutan producer Tshewang Dendup, wears Nikes, sports a T-shirt that says I love New York, listens to rock music on his portable stereo, and has walls cluttered with pictures of scantily clad Caucasian women. He says he would rather pick apples in America than continue to live in his isolated village. When Dondup receives the letter he had been waiting for, he packs his suitcases and sets off for greener pastures but misses the bus and is forced to hitch a ride on the mountain road. There he meets other travelers: an aged apple peddler (Apo Dochu), a Buddhist monk (Sonam Kingu), a rice paper seller and his lovely nineteen-year old daughter Sonam (Sonam Lhamo). As they wait for the next vehicle to arrive, they listen to a story serenely told by the Buddhist monk.
In the fable, the restless Tashi (Lhakpa Dorji) is tricked by his brother to enter a world of magic and illusion. Leaving his village on a magic horse, he becomes lost in the woods but is rescued by an old farmer. When he discovers his passion for the farmer's seductive young wife Deki (Deki Yangzom), however, he must deal with dark emotions beyond his experience. Travellers and Magicians has a natural beauty and charm and tells an important message - that we can be very happy just by being aware of and handling what is in front of us. As the poet Shakyamuni put it, "One who…clearly grasps the present deepens his state of life". If you are not fond of spiritual messages, however, you can simply enjoy the stories and the natural wonders of a pristine land before, as Norbu says, "there are 200 McDonalds, 100 Burger Kings, 100 Starbucks, 50 KFCs, polluted water, and deforestation".
GRADE: A-