HIGHWAY TO DHAMPUS is a beautiful narrative about personal transformation. The characters come from a variety of backgrounds and their motivations are influenced by these backgrounds, but in the end redemption comes to each through choosing to be vulnerable, assimilating the past, and choosing to be better in the future. I found myself being introspective and understanding how I can be better based on what I experienced in those 100 minutes. Set in Nepal, the cinematography is breathtaking and vibrant. It was so stunning at times I felt like the landscape was the hero of the scene.I recommend this film!

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.

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.