Lunana - A Yak In The Classroom review: This movie from Bhutan leaves your heart at peace and overwhelmed at same time

4.5/5

Story:

Ugyen Dorji (Sherab Dorji) lives in a city in Bhutan. He has big dreams but is limited to being a teacher in the remote area called Lunana, at least till he can pursue his dream. A Yak In The Classroom is his journey from a city boy to becoming a teacher in the remote area and finally, coming closer to his dream.

Review:

Lunana is a film that will transport you into the world where nature rules and serenity is the key. The very first scene, which is a girl sitting across green mountains and clear skies, is an indication of how the beauty of nature will be explored to the fullest.

While talking about nature, this film manages to showcase what a poor man's day-to-day life looks like. Set in Bhutan, Lunana also shows the Buddhist culture well.

The film starts off on a slow note but manages to leave you excited when you hear the word Lunana for the first time. The movie gets to the real story very slowly anyway but it's not like you lose interest in the film instantly because of that. There is an alter storyline going on with Ugyen Dorji (Sherab Dorji) and so, you get more depth into his character.

Despite its slow pace (which somehow does not impact your viewing experience), Lunana is appealing to all your senses. It is a journey that explores the corners of Bhutan as our lead character travels places.

The best part about the movie comes after 20 minutes. Our hero realizes the value of being a teacher/parent. The makers subtly introduce to him that the profession is selfless, just like parents who could bear the brunt of walking barefoot on a sunny road filled with rocks, thorns and unknown dangers, all while protecting their child from it all.

A privileged Ugyen shows some changes when he realizes there's a world outside himself - a tough family that works hard to serve their guests for a good night's sleep. He is someone who cannot stand any moment he is spending while travelling to Lunana (which makes it so realistic) but nonetheless, Ugyen shows growth under circumstances - whether he's forced to face the circumstance or wishes to do so himself.

Many people living in such remote areas do not think ahead of working and getting more family members to work so they can feed the whole family. In that aspect, Lunana comes as a refreshing and much-welcomed change as the people in the areas unanimously agree that their children should receive proper education in order to succeed in life than be held back by responsibilities of feeding the family. This scene is one of the most heartwarming in Lunana and its execution is perfect, since it could have been either an embarassment or an opportunity to shine in public. Of course, it is the latter.

Everything after that scene is one big heartwarming journey. Ugyen learns about the life in Lunana, a place he did not want to visit and soon, he embraces the culture to the fullest. He even collects yak dung, somethint Ugyen probably never thought he would considering his big dreams.

Even the youngest of kids are great actors in this film and thus, there is no dearth of talent in this movie. Not just the actors but people living in remote areas also have a lot of talent. This aspect is also explored very beautifully in Lunana.

Kelden Lhamo Gurung as Saldon makes an appearance in the second half of the movie. It hints at how the women in movies are often overlooked but considering that this story is about Ugyen, that too is given. Nonetheless, her first appearance is pretty impactful and makes the wait worth it to some extent.

It is often said that a calm mind offers many opportunities. Here, Lunana offers that same experience. Set in the midst of nature (or at least most of it), this film brings calm and through it, a lot of things fall into place. From our lead character finding his true dream to everyone looking at life the right way in the place Lunana, A Yak In The Classroom is one journey where your heart will find peace and yet, be overwhelmed.

This almost perfect film has an almost perfect end. It is about taking the beauty of a culture and flaunting it across the world. This kind of bold move is exactly the thing one needs to see in real life, after all it might just bring people closer and help them understand about more cultures across the world rather than limiting themselves to their own.

Verdict:

There should be more films like Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom. It takes you back to the roots and shows you an image of what people living in the remote areas look like. The contrast between them and the lead character is quite obvious but is dealt with beautifully and sensitively.

The world needs to see more films made on people who actually require attention, one of who are the people living in these remote areas. They are the ones who struggle and deserve the applauds more than any movie or sports personality who did struggle but reached somewhere eventually. Tapping the new market has definitely proven fruitful for Lunana and having talented actors and crew members in it is definitely a cherry on the cake.