Drakpa is an elderly Tibetan shepherd who lives with his son Gonbo and daughter-in-law Rikso. Drakpa owns an old Tibetan mastiff, a breed of sheep herding dogs whose inflated price in the early 2000s made them prized possessions for Chinese buyers in the “mainland” (i.e. non-Tibetan China). This mastiff circulates through the local dog-trading economy: it’s sold, recovered, re-sold, stolen, and recovered yet again, passing through the hands of an ethnic Chinese dealer, the local police, and Tibetan dog rustlers. At the same time, Gonbo and Rikso wrestle with infertility issues. Amidst newly fenced-off Amdo grasslands and a decidedly dilapidated village, Drakpa tries to ward off everyone who sees his beloved dog as a mere commodity.
Crises of identity, commodification, and masculinity intensify as vultures circle expectantly, just overhead. This may be Pema Tseden’s darkest, most anti-picturesque film.
Pema Tseden
Lochey, Drolma Kyab, Tamdrin Tso, Yanbum Gyal, Chokyong Gyal, Demchok Gyamtso
China
2010
In Tibetan with English subtitles
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Credits
Screenwriter
Pema Tseden
Cinematography
Gyal Sonthar
Editor
Sangye Bhum
Also in This Series
Tibetan director Pema Tseden became one of the most remarkable filmmakers of this century, revolutionizing the representation of Tibet and Tibetans and sharing his visions of authentic Tibetan life with the entire film-going world by reimagining how narrative cinematic fiction could operate within so-called “Chinese minority cinema”.
The Search
Shot in exquisite long takes, this brilliant film is a road movie wrapped around three love stories. A director and crew are looking for local cast to star in their film version of the classic Tibetan opera Prince Drime Kundun.
The Silent Holy Stones
In Pema Tseden's first feature, a very young Tibetan lama living in a monastery in Qinghai discovers the delights of binge-watching a Chinese TV serial, just one aspect of the contradictions he will have to navigate in a culture steeped in tradition.
Snow Leopard
The last film Pema Tseden finished before his death at age 53 is an enthralling, semi-mystical fable about the deep spiritual connection between a young Tibetan priest and a snow leopard responsible for killing livestock belonging to the priest's brother.
First Steps: Pema Tseden Short Films
Pema Tseden was the first Tibetan director to graduate from the Beijing Film Academy. The Silent Manistone (2002) and his graduation film, The Grassland (2004) are fascinating sketches for later works.
Old Dog
In what may be Pema Tseden's darkest film, a Tibetan mastiff is sold, recovered, re-sold, stolen, and recovered yet again, passing through the hands of an ethnic Chinese dealer, the local police, and Tibetan dog rustlers.
Balloon
The young sons of virile Tibetan shepherd Dargye mistake their parents' condoms for balloons. Meanwhile Dargye is looking for a ram to impregnate his flock. Balloon is fascinated with ideas of potency, pregnancy, and the possibilities for female autonomy.
The Sacred Arrow
A romantic, gorgeously shot, widescreen modern fable, this is a marked departure from Pema Tseden's usual stye. Handsome Nyima and brooding Dradon are ace archers from rival villages who vie in an annual contest for the ultimate prize, the Sacred Arrow.