Something that has been repeated in recent years at the Oscars is the surprise nomination of unknown titles in certain categories. This is the case with the best international film. After the change in the selection of the titles of the so-called shortlist (it went from 9 to 15 after the 2020 edition) and the subsequent election of the five candidates, gave rise to the entry of securities that no one would have put in their pools and which, thanks to that candidacy, receive greater attention which allows for greater distribution in various international markets.
This is the case of the Bhutanese ‘Lunana, a yak at school’, nominated for the Oscar for best international film in the last 94th edition. first film of the Asian country nominated for the statuette in this category. The film did quite a feat, as it was originally supposed to represent Bhutan at the Oscars the previous year, but was disqualified due to a bureaucratic error (it was not chosen by a committee). Once the paperwork and the formalities were sorted out, he tried again in the next call, working the miracleas the film was able to place the five nominees against very powerful titles that were shortlisted such as the Iranian ‘A hero’, the Belgian ‘A small world’, the Finnish ‘Compartment n. 6 ‘, the Austrian’ Great Freedom ‘or the Spanish’ The good patron ‘.
Pawo Choyning Dorji’s debut film, ‘Lunana, a Yak at School’ exudes charm and, above all, honesty. The premise may recall other similar titles, narrating how a young teacher, Ugyen, tries to leave his native Bhutan and emigrate to Australia, to become a music star. Due to his obvious lack of interest in being a teacher, he is forced to carry out one last mission before taking a leave that allows him to leave the country: he must teach in Lunana, a glacial village located in the Himalayas. In that place lost by the hand of God, Ugyen will meet children with a great desire to learn and a lifestyle that makes them rethink their life.
A beautiful and didactic tale about the importance of education and living with one’s roots
Dorji sets up an honest story with which he takes the opportunity to remember something that is essential: access to education, a fundamental human right. The film shows how difficult it is for children in rural regions to receive adequate education. From this point of view, the director seems to be inspired by ‘Not one less’ or ‘The way home’, both by Zhang Yimouin relation to education in rural areas and how these regions should be valued against the urban lifestyle. The love song for a life more in tune with nature links the director to the Japanese Isao Takahataespecially in how the work experience changes the life of the young teacher.
Added to a series of beautiful natural sequences, which show the charm of the Himalayas, as well as a careful portrait of the rural area, with which Dorji approaches documentary cinema, ‘Lunana, a yak at school’ is a proposal capable of surprising audiences and critics alike. A tender story, one that anticipates childhood, which is represented as the hope for a better world, messages that become more important in cinematographic proposals like this one. An example that the Oscars can promote by knowing a type of cinema that would have been more difficult to find without these awards. A little hidden gem.
Note: 8
The best: The illusion that children learn, the message of hope it conveys.
Worse: It is a film with family aspirations and a mass audience, despite its nationality, which implies that a certain audience more akin to the riskiest proposals in cinematography will underestimate it.
Source: E Cartelera
