Shambhala

Filmed in the high Himalayas, this spectacular, but quietly observed drama follows the spiritual and physical journey a young woman takes across the mountains.

Young bride Pema (Thinley Lhamo) marries 3 husbands – young farmer Tashi and his two brothers – according the local tradition of polyandry. But shortly after Tashi leaves on a trading expedition to Lhasa, Pema realises she’s pregnant, that her fidelity is doubted by her community and that Tashi has disappeared.

Pema’s search for Tashi in the remote Dolpo region near the Nepal/Tibet border forms the heart of the film. She’s an extraordinary presence – seemingly placid but indomitably tough. The film’s a slow burner, focusing more on intimacy, character and ethnography than high drama, but everything is shaped by the epic, overwhelming magnificence of the Himalayan landscape.

Nepal 2024. Director Min Bahadur Bham. With Thinley Lhamo, Sonam Topden, Tenzin Dalha. 150 mins. Advise 15

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