Khyentse Norbu gives us a simple film that is done with common people. It is the message that is important, not the stars.Two men go on a journey. They are both after the same thing - dreaming of a better life. One, unfortunately feels that his better life can be had with another man's wife, and the result is tragic. The other dreams of going to America, where he can make more money picking apples that he can as a Government official in Bhutan.We all search and dream for a better life, and while we are dreaming, we miss the life that is going on all around us at the moment. We focus so much on what could be, we do not appreciate what is.Norbu's message is a simple Buddhist one. Live for the moment. This story is a perfect illustration and a joy to see.

It's a bit simplistic to call this a "road movie", but certainly much of the story follows a group of unlikely Bhutanese travellers hitch-hiking and riding in all manner of vehicles. Interspersed with this theme is a second story of a love triangle in the rugged mountains. Both stories are commentaries about the complexities of life and romance in the Himalayas as western ways take root.Comparisons will inevitably be drawn with Khyentse Norbu's earlier movie, The Cup, and I have to admit that I preferred The Cup. I'll never forget the youthful exuberance of those monks as the World Cup soccer final approached. And I feel the Buddhist message was a bit more direct in The Cup.However, the tagline of Travellers and Magicians is "The bitter and sweet of temporary things", and this sounds pretty Buddhist to me. We tend to forget that everything is transitory and grasp at it as if it will exist forever, and this is the cause of our suffering.And that, kind friends, is the extent of my Buddhist wisdom for today.Enjoy!

Khyentse Norbu's cinematic abilities have grown since The Cup, his previous movie. I am hugely impressed across the board. The screenplay is great, cinematography is great, the story is great, and the editing is great. Also the characterization is outstanding. All the characters, even the "bad guys", are seen with compassion. I found the movie very entertaining and when I left the movie I felt uplifted. Meanwhile the dark side of humanity was not left unexplored. It has a kind of spirituality that seeps in at the edges, as if by osmosis, and is far from preachy or pedantic. This movie reminds me of some of the great movie-making of the 60's....Bergman and Fellini to name the directors. It is deceptively simple in it's beauty yet, to be bold in my opinion, I would also say it has reached toward and achieved the archetypal. A definite should see!

The second film from Buddhist director Khyentse Norbu (his first film is 1999's "The Cup", "Travellers & Magicians" is a beautiful, funny, spiritual and understated piece of cinema. The film involves two stories about two men, both on very similar journeys in very different worlds, with two very different outcomes. Dondup (Tshewang Dendup) is an important chief officer in a remote village in the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, but soon realizes that he can not stay there his whole life and longs to travel to his dreamland called America. He would rather see himself picking apples in the U.S. than live a mundane life in his village. And so he begins his journey, hitchhiking his way closer to his dreamland. On the way he meets a feisty monk (played by a funny Sonam Kinga), an old apple seller, and a paper maker & his young daughter Sonam, whom Dondup slowly begins to grow an attraction for.During the journey, the monk tells Dondup and the group an old fable that parallel's Dondup's journey and quest for a better, more exciting life. The film then inter-cuts back and forth from Dondup's story to Tashi's story. Tashi (played by the charismatic Lhakpa Dorji) is a restless farm boy studying magic, who dreams of one day leaving his boring village. While having lunch with his younger brother, he unexpectedly embarks on a journey of his own where he meets an old recluse named Agay (Gomchen Penjore) and his beautiful, and much younger, wife Deki (Deki Yangzom). Soon, Tashi falls in love with Deki and soon they begin a secret affair. Here, the film turns almost noirish.As the monk concludes Tashi's fable, Dondup is left with a dilemma — is the grass truly greener on the other side? This film was the first feature to be made in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan and was shot entirely in the Dzongkha dialect, which is the official language of Bhutan. Because few of the cast spoke this new language, most had to be taught by a dialect coach on-set. The cast does a terrific job and the performances are all excellent...all very natural. The standouts in the film are Tshewang Dendup and Lahakpa Dorji, the two protagonists. Though they go on similar journeys, both exemplify different personalities and both actors successfully establish their characters as human...likable yet flawed. My only complaint is that both their characters don't fully come to a full arc, more so for Dondup's character. Though i'm sure Norbu intended the audience to make their own conclusion to Dondup's journey of discovery. I think maybe Norbu created such great, dynamic characters, I didn't want their stories to end. I wanted to continue riding along on their journeys, curious to see what happens next.The cinematography is stunning and Alan Kozlowski does a wonderful job at contrasting the different looks of Dondup's story and Tashi's cautionary tale. Dondup's world is a natural canvas that showcases the beautiful scenery of the Bhutan landscape. Tashi's world is darker and mystical, shot with dark blues and greens and soft lighting. The final scene at the creek of Tashi's story is absolutely breathtaking. Highly recommended.