The Monk and the Gun

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The Monk and the Gun
File:The Monk and the Gun poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji
Produced by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Pawo Choyning Dorji
  • Feng Hsu
  • Stephanie Lai
  • Jean-Christophe Simon
  • Janee Pennington-Watson
Written by Pawo Choyning Dorji
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Tandin Wangchuk
  • Deki Lhamo
  • Pema Zangmo Sherpa
  • Tandin Sonam
  • Harry Einhorn
  • Choeying Jatsho
  • Tandin Phubz
  • Yuphel Lhendup Selden
  • Kelsang Choejay
Music by Frederic Alvarez
Cinematography Jigme Tenzing
Edited by Hsiao Yun-Ku
Production
company
<templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Films Boutique
  • Closer Media
  • Dangphu Dingphu: A 3 Pigs Production
  • Journey to The East Films
  • N8 Studios
  • The Jim Henson Company
  • Tomson Films
  • Wooden Trailer Productions
Distributed by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Release dates
 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • September 1, 2023 (2023-09-01) (Telluride)
  • October 17, 2023 (2023-10-17) (Bhutan)
  • February 9, 2024 (2024-02-09) (United States)
  • August 7, 2024 (2024-08-07) (France)
Running time
 107 minutes
Country <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Bhutan
  • Taiwan
  • France
  • United States
  • Hong Kong
Language <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • English
  • Dzongkha

The Monk and the Gun is a 2023 drama film directed, written and co-produced by Pawo Choyning Dorji.[4] Starring Tandin Wangchuk, Deki Lhamo, Pema Zangmo Sherpa, Tandin Sonam, Harry Einhorn, Choeying Jatsho, Tandin Phubz, Yuphel Lhendup Selden and Kelsang Choejay.[5] It is a co-production between Bhutan, Taiwan, France, United States and Hong Kong.[6]

It was selected as the Bhutanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards,[7] and was one of the 15 finalist films in the December shortlist.[8]

Synopsis

Set in 2006, the Kingdom of Bhutan is looking to become a democracy, so looking to hold an election, government officials organize a mock election as a training exercise. In the town of Ura, an old lama orders a monk to get a pair of weapons to face the imminent change in the kingdom. Meanwhile, an American antique weapons collector lands in Bhutan in search of a valuable rifle that falls into the monk's hands.[9][10]

Plot

In the movie Monk and the Gun, we follow the story of Tashi, a young monk, and Ron Coleman, an American visitor. Tashi's lama asks for guns, which is strange because guns aren't common in their society. Meanwhile, Ron is in Bhutan to get an antique gun for a collector. The movie shows how Bhutan is learning about democracy, while also dealing with the fascination for guns. There's humor as the villagers try to understand elections, and tension builds as Ron and Tashi's stories intertwine. In the end, the movie leaves us thinking about democracy and the allure of firearms.

Cast

  • Harry Einhorn as Ron Colman
  • Tandin Wangchuk as Tashi
  • Deki Lhamo as Tshomo
  • Pema Zangmo Sherpa as Tshering Yangden
  • Tandin Sonam as Benji
  • Choeying Jatsho as Choephel
  • Tandin Phubz as Phurba
  • Yuphel Lhendup Selden
  • Kelsang Choejay

Release

The Monk and the Gun had its world premiere on September 1, 2023, at the 50th Telluride Film Festival,[11] and then screened on September 9 in the Centerpiece section of the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.[12][13] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in the 'A Window on Asian Cinema' section and was screened in October 2023.[14] In October 2023, Roadside Attractions acquired the North American distribution rights to the film,[15] and a U.S. release is scheduled for February 2, 2024.[16]

Reception

The film has received numerous positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 28 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8/10.[17] 72 was met with 9 reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of {{{3}}}, based on {{{4}}} reviews.Deadline Hollywood's chief film critic Pete Hammond called it one of the best films in the 50th Telluride Film Festival, writing that there was "no sophomore jinx here, this one is even better than Pawo Choyning Dorji's first, and that is saying something", and that the director "presents a gentle satirical jab at American democracy, but shows the difficulties of changing a society whose pure and lovely innocence stands in the way of a political revolution, even as they are also just discovering James Bond and The Spice Girls".[18]

The Monk and the Gun won the Showcase Audience Choice Award for the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival.[19] The film was also awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Rome Film Festival.[20]

Alex Billington of the First Showing described the film as "a fascinating philosophical look at life in Bhutan, which was told with confidence and filmed absolutely perfectly", hailing it as "a brilliant satirical commentary on America's stubborn ways, as opposed to the more sensible Bhutan society based in Buddhism. Not only is watching The Monk and the Gun such a pleasant and uplifting experience, it's the kind of film that will leave you profoundly affected by the story." Billington further added that the film was "one-of-a-kind", and that it "[provided] a profoundly distinct perspective on Buddhist philosophy and Himalayan culture that many are entirely unfamiliar with and can't quite make sense of".[21]

Stephen Farber from The Hollywood Reporter positively highlights the film's sense of humor along with its lively and piquant narration, although unnecessary complications arise in the development of the story. He also praised the persuasive performances of the entire cast.[22]

See also

References

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External links

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