Travellers and Magicians

The second feature from the director of The Cup (possibly the world's only Buddhist monk film-maker) is a handsome allegory that follows a Bhutanese official impatient to escape rural tradition and make a life for himself in America. First, though, he has to hitch-hike to the nearest city and endure the fantastical fable of a yarn-spinning priest. Surprisingly spicy, the story within a story tells of a young man who gets lost in the woods and falls prey to adultery and murder. The story proper is a little cute, perhaps, but an assured piece of work.