Travellers and Magicians
Travellers and Magicians
| 31 December 2004 (USA)
Travellers and Magicians Trailers

A young government official, named Dondup, who is smitten with America (he even has a denim gho) dreams of escaping there while stuck in a beautiful but isolated village. He hopes to connect in the U.S. with a visa out of the country. He misses the one bus out of town to Thimphu, however, and is forced to hitchhike and walk along the Lateral Road to the west, accompanied by an apple seller, a Buddhist monk with his ornate, dragon-headed dramyin, a drunk, a widowed rice paper maker, and his beautiful daughter, Sonam.

Reviews
Hellen

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Matialth

Good concept, poorly executed.

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TaryBiggBall

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

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Sameer Callahan

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

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Andres Salama

In Travellers and Magicians, Bhutanese director Khyentse Norbu (The Cup) tells us two parallel stories that deliver one message - happiness is usually found in the simpler things in life.The protagonist of this gentle film is a man called Dondup, a young, highly Westernized civil servant, who works in a small village in the Himalayas and dreams of migrating to America (as indication of his westernization, we see him listening to rock music in a portable stereo). One day, he receives a long expected letter, indicating a visa to the US is waiting for him in the Bhutanese capital of Thimbu. Unfortunately, he just misses the bus (which appears in the village only sporadically) so he decides to hitchhike to the capital. Along the road, he meets people representing a simpler side of life: an apple seller, a Buddhist monk, and a maker of traditional rice paper and his beautiful teenage daughter.To pass the time, the monk starts telling the group a story, which is the framework for the film's second, parallel story: a fugitive finds refuge in a remote forest, in the house of an elderly woodcutter. The woodcutter has a far younger wife, to which the fugitive starts feeling increasingly attracted, and this attraction is reciprocated by her. The fugitive's attraction for the woodcutter's daughter is the mirror of the increasing feelings of Dondup towards the paper maker's daughter in the first story. Eventually, Dondup will realize that the simpler things in life are usually the best ones.

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lastliberal

Khyentse Norbu gives us a simple film that is done with common people. It is the message that is important, not the stars.Two men go on a journey. They are both after the same thing - dreaming of a better life. One, unfortunately feels that his better life can be had with another man's wife, and the result is tragic. The other dreams of going to America, where he can make more money picking apples that he can as a Government official in Bhutan.We all search and dream for a better life, and while we are dreaming, we miss the life that is going on all around us at the moment. We focus so much on what could be, we do not appreciate what is.Norbu's message is a simple Buddhist one. Live for the moment. This story is a perfect illustration and a joy to see.

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John Foster

It's a bit simplistic to call this a "road movie", but certainly much of the story follows a group of unlikely Bhutanese travellers hitch-hiking and riding in all manner of vehicles. Interspersed with this theme is a second story of a love triangle in the rugged mountains. Both stories are commentaries about the complexities of life and romance in the Himalayas as western ways take root.Comparisons will inevitably be drawn with Khyentse Norbu's earlier movie, The Cup, and I have to admit that I preferred The Cup. I'll never forget the youthful exuberance of those monks as the World Cup soccer final approached. And I feel the Buddhist message was a bit more direct in The Cup.However, the tagline of Travellers and Magicians is "The bitter and sweet of temporary things", and this sounds pretty Buddhist to me. We tend to forget that everything is transitory and grasp at it as if it will exist forever, and this is the cause of our suffering.And that, kind friends, is the extent of my Buddhist wisdom for today.Enjoy!

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Barbara Gershenson

Love versus Lust... All of the actors were chosen from local Bhutanese people. The inner stories are the most fascinating. An inspiration to all. To young people hoping and dreaming for the material world's "gifts". To Westerners who have never imagined or seen the beauty and rich culture of Bhutan. Just be patient, for this movie will lead you on a journey which you could never imagine..... I learned new perspectives about Hope and Love. The stories don't follow the Hollywood model of the acts. But, for me this storytelling method is more like that of the fable, fairytale or morality tale like Eric Roehmer's Morality Tales. For me, this is a much more enriching art form. It's not your typical Hollywood movie, thanks.

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