In theaters from April 30th with Officine UBU, Once upon a time in Bhutan tells, in comedy form, the first elections in the country that was the last to connect to the Internet and TV. We explain why you shouldn’t miss it.
In a rural village in Bhutan, the irruption of modernity, in the form of the transition from monarchy to democracy, wreaks havoc: a husband and wife argue, a man goes to the city for a mission that could put him at odds with justice, an old Lama asks to a monk to provide him with weapons. It happens in the second work of Pawo Choyning Dorjititled Once upon a time in Bhutan and distributed in Italy by Officine UBU. In theaters from April 30, the film has the poetry of a fairy tale but tells a true story, taking us to know a remote corner of the world that lives following rhythms far removed from the frenzy of Western societies.
We loved it a lot Once upon a time in Bhutan and there are several reasons why we recommend going to see it. We have chosen five, which seem to us to be the most important.
Director Pawo Choyning Dorji
Once upon a time in Bhutan bears the signature of a director of notable merit, who in 2022 was nominated for an Oscar for his debut work Lunana: The village at the end of the world. Let’s talk about Pawo Choyning Dorji (pictured below), who incidentally is the youngest recipient of the Royal Order of Bhutan. Lunana, which was also the first Bhutan film to enter the Oscar race, had taken the director and his light crew to a remote mountain where a tiny human settlement had chosen to settle. To reach it, it took entire days of trekking at very high altitude and there wasn’t even electricity up there, which was fine, since the strong theme of the film was remoteness. The rural village of Ura, where it takes place Once upon a time in Bhutan, however, it is accessible and modern, and therefore it was possible not to skimp on the equipment. The theme has also changed, which is innocence, an important characteristic of the Bhutanese and which many have mistakenly mistaken for ignorance.
The recent history of Bhutan
Since every film tells a story, going to the cinema means knowing and learning, what if we hadn’t seen Once upon a time in Bhutan, we probably would never have known that in 2006 the local population missed their king and showed a certain distrust towards elections, so much so that it was necessary to organize mock elections so that people became familiar with voting. This is precisely what the film is about, which also highlights the fact that the transition to democracy occurred without revolutions, since the king abdicated spontaneously so that his country could find its unique place in the world. And if the people have looked at democracy with skepticism, it is because of their attachment to traditions. Furthermore, Bhutan is the last country in the world that has succumbed to the lure of the Internet and TV, and it is no coincidence that one of the most beautiful scenes of the film is the one in which a group of people, including a monk, look with passion Quantum of Solace Of Marc Forster, 22nd Bond Movie. However, Bhutan only embraced technology because it didn’t want to fall too far behind the rest of Asia. It must be said, however, that in the past the policy of self-isolation has benefited the country, which has stolidly resisted colonialism.
The monk with the rifle
Once upon a time in Bhutan it is a choral story, in which different narrative lines develop simultaneously. The most surprising, perhaps, is that of a monk who is asked by an elderly Lama to bring him some weapons. The monk finds an old rifle and walks up the mountains carrying the weapon. This is one of the most evocative images in the film and contrasts with the obsession of an American collector of old weapons who has shelled out a large amount of dollars to have the rifle. The man who acts as his interpreter tells the monk that in the stranger’s country there are more weapons than people, and the monk replies that it must be a very particular country. Naturally he smiles, but in reality there is little to joke about. Luckily the monk has the support of the entire village, which has a very strong sense of community and which regulates its existence on the 2,500 year old teachings of the Buddha. Religion, in the film, brings everyone together, cancels out differences and leads to meditation and introspection.
The FIL, the Gross National Happiness Index, as the guiding principle of Bhutan
When the government of Bhutan promulgated its first Constitution in 2008, it strongly insisted that the opening statement read: “The purpose of a government is to provide happiness to its people, and if a government cannot provide happiness, has no reason to exist.” The pursuit of happiness, therefore, has always been a guiding principle for the small state bordering India and China, which saw fit to “invent” the concept of Gross National Happiness. In short, there are those who are obsessed with the Gross Domestic Product, on which the economy of a state depends, and those who favor Gross National Happiness. About this, Pawo Choyning Dorji explained: “The concept of gross national happiness is the ability to adapt to changing situations, using wisdom and means that allowed the Bhutanese Kings to guide the country through situations that risked endangering the sovereignty of the nation. It is also with the same wisdom and with the same skill that we are gently guided to embrace democracy and thrive with it.”
The discovery of a precious cinematography, capable of speaking to everyone
Once upon a time in Bhutan, which also deals with a social and political theme, is not a boring film at all. Indeed, it is endowed with great lightness and even a hint of tenderness. Pawo Choyning Dorji in fact he had the excellent intuition to choose comedy. The comedy, however, is not “coarse-grained” but has grace and delicacy. All this makes the film easily accessible and able to speak to every type of audience. Once upon a time in Bhutan It thus imposes itself both as a tool for approaching a distant cinematography and as an awareness that certain topics, feelings and situations have a universal character, for example the fear of leaving the old path for the new one. And speaking of roads, it should not be forgotten that two hours in the dark in the stalls of a hall allow us to visit even the most remote corner of the globe, which Pawo Choyning Dorji has contributed to making it everyone’s heritage. We remember that the first feature film produced in Bhutan, Wizards and Travelers Of Khyentse Norbuwas only made in 2002 and that, at present, there are no professional actors in the country.
