Highway to Dhampus, the English-Nepalese film, is a special film and a one to experience. Quiet, yet teeming with emotion and pathos... It's really the complete package: Super music, great scenery and well-acted by a cast of beautiful and sensitive actors, mostly unknown to me. The children in this film are the most natural and entertaining actors I've seen in a while. I was fortunate enough to catch this movie at The Rubin Museum of Art but It's definitely a film I'd like to see again and hope it will come to New York theaters. Starring: Rachel Hurd-Wood, Gunner Wright, Suesha Rana, Raj Ballav Koirala, Deshbhakta Khanal, Sayush Gurung Bajracharya, Sophie McShera, Vinzenz Kiefer, Masha Tokareva, Sunil Shrestha

Highway to Dhampus is a movie that isn't just watched; it's experienced. It's a story about human connection that defies what we think we know, and explores what it takes to forgive others and, more importantly, ourselves. With the striking countryside of Nepal as the backdrop, the beautiful cinematography only deepens the connection you feel to the characters, story, and the culture that slowly unfold as the movies plays on. The pace is perfect, and the story is one that will stay with you like an impressionable experience of your own.Highway to Dhampus is able to capture the perfect imperfections of life and relationships: The beauty that can come from tragedy, and that sometimes our biggest enemy is our own defensiveness. The scenery not only captures your attention, it takes a role in the narrative by reflecting the story. Just like the countryside of Nepal, even in its poverty, it seems that in the nooks and crannies of the unfairness of life, it's possible that beauty not only outweighs the unsightly, but its flaws may even contribute to the richness of its beauty.

This is a beautiful film in every sense of the word. Set in breathtaking Nepal, the setting and camera work weave a spell. The landscape becomes a living character in the film and pulls each character in a different direction. The story revolves around a British socialite in need of redemption and purpose in life, an American photographer who has lost his faith in what matters in life, a Nepalese pilot with feet in two worlds, and the director of an isolated Nepalese orphanage who possesses a beautiful heart and quiet spirituality. The Nepalese actors are the standouts, telling the story of their characters and their people with genuine feeling and depth. Highway to Dhampus is a story of love, beauty, transformation and faith in a shared humanity. I laughed, cried, and was moved deeply by this beautiful little film.

I really enjoyed this small, quiet film about life in rural Nepal. It's beautifully shot and has a great Nepali cast. It's very much a character study with Nepal itself being one of the biggest characters. The film does a great job of giving you more than a passing tourist's view of Nepal, but you don't need a deep understanding of Hindu culture to appreciate it. I liked that it asked hard questions about the real value of charity and service work, hard questions the film didn't offer an easy answer for, and it wasn't just a post-colonial "white guilt" film.A few of the characters start off as thin caricatures, but as the film progresses, most of these characters grow along with the film. I was especially drawn to Ajit, the Nepali pilot who connects all these disparate characters, but also old Nepal and modern Nepal. The film really wants to make a stark contrast between Elizabeth, the spoiled heiress doing obligatory charity work, and Laxmi, the simple villager who runs the local orphanage, but I think the best contrast comes in the form of Ajit's personal struggle as he transitions from being a proud pilot to much more humble circumstances.