By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.75
Director: Pawo Choyning Dorji
Starring: Kelden Lhamo Gurung | Pen Zam | Sangay Lham | Sherab Dorji | Ugyen Norbu Lhendup
Country: bhutan, china
Year: 2022
Running time: 110
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10189300/reference/
Diane says: “I ended up liking LUNANA, a film from Bhutan, well enough despite my misgivings that it was too sweet. (If you follow those other awards, you may recognize the name from the noms for best international film.)
“A city guy in his 20s, intent on leaving Bhutan to pursue a singing career, is assigned national service in a remote village (altitude 14,000 ft., pop. 56), and over a few months develops a respect for community, elders, the natural world, and life without a cellphone. Fortunately, the filmmaker knew what traps I was expecting and foiled them at the end. The cast is mostly made up of Lunana’s inhabitants. One girl in particular stole my heart. 3 cats“
Tom responds: “I had the privilege to host a Q&A with Pawo during the last Belmont World Film Fest, what a wonderful human.”
Michael says: “This is exactly the type of international film that the Academy loves, which is probably why it was nominated in the Best Foreign Film category this year. Inoffensive and sweet, while telling a tale you can see coming a mile away (especially if you watched the TV show ‘Northern Exposure’) LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM couldn’t really hold my attention. It’s beautiful, shot in in a remote village in Bhutan, but all the marks are hit so strongly that it feels like a paint-by-number exercise. Big city doctoral student is stationed for a year in a remote village where he can’t get a wi fi signal, and the customs are strange to him. Gradually he falls in love with the place, and inexplicably, becomes the greatest, and most loved doctor the village ever had. 2 1/2 cats“
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom