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‘Shambhala’ Review: A Tranquil but Meandering Mountain Journey


The first Nepalese film ever selected for Competition at Berlin, Min Bahadur Bham’s polyandrous recital 'Shambhala' is scenic, but slight.

Little delights abound in “ Shambhala,” Min Bahadur Bham ‘s Berlinale Competition entry, in which a vibrant young Nepali woman, Pema (Thinley Lhamo), enters into a polyandrous marriage with her lover Tashi (Tenzin Dalha), and his two younger brothers. The relationships between Pema and Tashi, Dawa and middle brother Karma (Sonam Topden) — a monk whose ascetic vegetarianism and refusal to ride horses ends up the butt of everyone’s jokes — have a soothing quality. While Bham ensures chuckles and smiles during the initial hour — often through sudden cuts that punctuate surprising humor — the film’s visual energy shifts dramatically from there on out, once Pema embarks to find Tashi and confront him with the truth.

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