Movie Review: Travellers and Magicians

Alternate Title: Back to Bhutan

Story: This is a s-l-o-w moving tale that never grabbed me. The good news is that there are a few interesting scenes, an occasional Buddhist life tag line to ponder and a pretty scenic view or two. The bad news is that I did not care a bit about anything or anyone after 40 minutes.

Dondup, a Govt. official longs to leave Bhutan and emigrate to the United States. He wears Nike's, an I Love NY T-shirt and listens to western music. The cuteness of his character wears thin after ten minutes. He tries to get to an American Embassy for a Visa but misses his bus.

His trip interruptus allows him to meet a few fellow travelers including a monk, an apple picker, an old paper maker and his nineteen year old daughter.

There is an oft-told story within a story and director writer Khyentse Norbu (The Cup ) quickly reveals the theme of the film which is happiness is where you are.

My happiness would have been outside of the theater.

Acting: All of the actors are nonprofessionals. Enough said.

Predilection: None.

Critters: A horse, donkey and birds.

Food: Vegetarian fare.

Visual Art: The scenery of Bhutan reminded me of Vermont or Colorado. I was looking for Shangri-La.

Blatant Product Placement: Nike and NYC

Theater Audience: A very mixed bag of people.

Drift Range: Lots of drifting about my in-progress closet renovation.

Predictability Level: High

Tissue Usage: 0

Oscar Worthy: NO!

Nit Picking: Too slow and too long.

Big Screen or Rental: Neither. Rent Lost Horizon and live in a fantasy world.

Length : Under two hours.

LOBO HOWLS: 3