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THE MONK AND THE GUN, BY PAWO CHOYNING DORJI
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Following up his Oscar-nominated debut film "Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom," Bhutanese filmmaker Pawo Choyning Dorji's "The Monk and the Gun" is a droll political satire set in the year 2006 as the Kingdom of Bhutan transitions towards becoming the world's youngest democracy. Lusciously lensed by cinematographer Jigme Tenzing, the ensemble comedy examines how the country's upcoming mock elections affect the titular monk, a rural family, an election official, and a desperate liason from the city, all of whose lives collide in minor and major ways.
After hearing about the upcoming mock elections on the radio, the elderly lama (Kelsang Choejey) of the rural village of Ura requests that his attendant Tashi (a wonderfully wry Tandin Wangchuck) bring him two guns before the full moon-also the day of the elections-to "set it right." What exactly he means by this ominous and vague statement is left unanswered until the film's charming denouement.
As Tashi makes his way on foot in search of guns, election official Tshering (Pema Zangmo Sherpa) arrives, observing as the rural population is taught how to vote. Fictional parties are set up: Blue representing freedom and equality, red representing industrial development, and yellow representing preservation. Although the villagers are told to vote for the party they think will "bring them the most happiness,"- democracy, Tshering insists is paramount for the country's Gross National Happiness-they are also instructed how to hold a rally. Villagers are arbitrarily split up and told to yell at each other. A lesson that presses an elderly villager to ask Tshering why they are being taught to be rude, "This isn't who we are," the old woman admonishes...
BY Marya E. Gates
READ MORE: The Monk and the Gun movie review (2024) | Roger Ebert
