A group of Tibetans of all ages and from different families join together to make a pilgrimage from their home village to Lhasa, and around sacred Mount Kailash. Each makes the spiritual journey for their own reasons—one man, now elderly, may never have another opportunity, and a younger man seeks to change his fate. Over the course of an arduous trek that requires prostration after every few steps, they encounter many obstacles—a broken tractor, snow, exhaustion, sickness, a birth—but the ordeal never breaks their communal resolve. This unique blend of fiction and documentary uses real events to inform its dramatic storyline.
Organized by Sally Berger, Assistant Curator, Department of Film.