Travelers and Magicians (2003): The two men embark on parallel, if separate, journeys. Their yearning is a common one--for a better and different life. Dondup, delayed by the timeless pace of his village, is forced to hitchhike through the beautiful wild countryside of Bhutan to reach his goal. (7.4)
Director: Khyentse Norbu
Stars: Tshewang Dendup, Sonam Lhamo and Lhakpa Dorji
Language: Dzongkha (Bhutanese w/ English subtitles)
The theme is somewhat similar to the previous movie "The Drummer" in that the young, rebellious, westernized kid finds traditional values. But this one is slower paced; uses a different technique. I was more interested in what Bhutan looked like; what people looked like. The snow-capped mountains as the backdrop is stunning. People's features are a mixture of East Asian and Indian as is the case with Tibetans and Nepalese. Beautiful! Story makes you ask what is happiness. Interestingly, Bhutan is consistently ranked near the top of the list of happiest countries on earth. (Ashamed to say that while growing up in SL, I didn't know about Bhutan for a long time even though it is another small predominantly Buddhist country close to SL.) My Rating: 7.0
