By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Khyentse Norbu
Starring: Lhakpa Dorji | Sonam Lhamo | Tsewang Dandup
Country: australia, bhutan
Year: 2005
Running time: 108
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378906/combined
Beth C. says: “TRAVELLERS & MAGICIANS uses the popular ‘story-within-a-story’ method to present a character’s moral crisis within the context of other people who have gone through similar struggles. I found this film to be enjoyable and entertaining for the most part, but I must say that I liked the embedded story far more than the real-life story. Apart from the humor inherent in watching a young boy dose his older brother just for fun, the travelers often annoyed me with poor acting skills and loud, obnoxious, screeching voices and music. However, the embedded story was compelling and beautifully presented a complex crisis of conscience that two people experienced together.
“When the narrator referred to the man’s ‘lust’ having fallen under the woman’s ‘spell,’ he accused the couple of immoral acts (regarding their sexual relationship), and blamed the woman for luring him (much like that wench, Eve) into her trap. This was unnecessarily harsh and sexist, especially when the film had plenty of other moral conundrums to focus on… but that reflects my own sociopolitical opinion.
“The movie’s strengths include its humor and creativity and beautiful cinematography. Weaknesses include poor acting ability of several of the main characters, and a formulaic plot/script in the real-life portion of the story. 3 cats”