Himalaya

Elemental, sweeping and often majestic, this is both an engaging drama and a labour of love in tribute to the Buddhist, semi-nomadic people of the Dolpo, a remote region deep in the interior of the NW Himalayas. At the film's heart is a stunning re-enactment of a strenuous, often perilous annual yak caravan through the mountains. As the harvest yields only three months' food, salt must be traded for extra grain. Around this the film-makers weave a story dramatising themes that typify the conflicts and traditions of a threatened culture. The non-professional cast are given roles to suit their abilities, but turn in uniformly winning performances. If there's a fault, it lies in the director's occasional difficulty in sustaining narrative and dramatic flow without sacrificing his concern to reproduce authentic ethnographic detail.