Travellers & Magicians, directed by Khyentse Norabu, features cinematography of the Bhutan countryside. The film falls into the "on the road" genre. The road, as usual, represents life, and the lessons learned are Buddhist. Dondup (played by Tshewang Dendup) is a government official in Khumbar, a small Bhutan village; from the capital of Thimphu, he is bored because there are no pretty girls, and there is no nightlife. He hopes to go to America and awaits a letter of invitation from his brother, who is there. Day after day, the letter does not arrive, so he grows impatient. He asks the village head, his superior, for leave to go to the full moon festival in Thimphu, but by the time he reaches the road, he misses the bus. Accordingly, he has to wait to hitchhike. Soon, he is not the only hitchhiker; he is joined by an elderly man (played by Ab Dochu) carrying a load of apples to be sold in Thimphu. A Buddhist monk (played by Sonam Kinga) also emerges, and later a ricepapermaker and his daughter bring the total on the roadside to five. When a Mercedes passes by without picking up anyone, the monk makes up a story about the girl in the car, Deki (played by Deki Yangzom), thereby serving as yet another "on the road" story; the plot featuring an apprentice magician named Tashi (played by Lhakpa Dorji) clearly resembles The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). When the bus finally appears two days later, with room only for one more passenger, there is agreement that the man with apples should go so that he can sell his apples before they rot. Everyone eventually gets a ride, but the impatient government official learns a lot about how "hope" brings "pain" from the story within the story. MH
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