Himalaya (L'Enfance d'un Chef) (Caravan) (1999)
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89% of critics liked it
(53 reviews) -
88% of users liked it
(2,898 ratings)
Himalaya, l'Enfance d'un Chef is a fiction film about the forgotten people of Tibet, focusing on their daily lives and traditional customs. In a remote village in the Dolpo in the northwestern Himalayas of Nepal, Tinle, a charismatic old chief, has just lost his eldest son. He refuses to… More Himalaya, l'Enfance d'un Chef is a fiction film about the forgotten people of Tibet, focusing on their daily lives and traditional customs. In a remote village in the Dolpo in the northwestern Himalayas of Nepal, Tinle, a charismatic old chief, has just lost his eldest son. He refuses to allow his son's friend Karma, whom he holds responsible for his son's death, to lead a caravan of yaks. Karma defies the old man's anger and the shaman's advice and moves the caravan, with the help of other village youtha, before the date set by the ritual. On the day indicated by the gods, Tinle gets together the village elderly and sets out on the same journey with his second son and his grandson, who is destined to be the next chief. The ancestral struggle between the old man and the mountains begins all over again. Eric Valli traveled in the region for many years and studied the ways of the people before making this film, which is based on the epic lives of two of his Tibetan friends. The film was shot over a nine-month period with a small French crew working under extreme conditions at an altitude reaching 17,000 feet. Scenic shots are spectacular, particularly those depicting the crossing of the high pass. Himalaya, l'Enfance d'un Chef was shown out of competition at the 1999 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi
- Directed By
- Eric Valli
- Written By
- Nathalie Azoulai, Olivier Dazat
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International
- In Theaters
- Dec 15, 1999 Wide
- Studio
- Kino International
Critic Reviews
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Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
Valli's cameras capture one breathtaking image after another.
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Jennie Punter, Toronto Star
Himalaya is a film about choices, pride and forgiveness, filled with memorable characters and stunning scenery. And if you like yaks, this is the film for you.
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Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News
High above the tree line, Tinle, Karma and Norbu act out a universal human drama with only two special effects -- a blinking star and a yak.
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Chris Fujiwara, Boston Globe
Valli's touch as an artist is too light, and his dramatic sense too timid, to make the film much more than a collection of pretty pictures.
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Desson Thomson, Washington Post
A visually poetic, moving story.
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Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Thilen Lhondup
as Tinle
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Lhakpa Tsamchoe
as Pema
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Gurgon Kyap
as Karma
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Karma Tensing Nyama Lama
as Norbu
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Karma Wangiel
as Pasang
- Karma Wangel
- Karma Tensing
- Labrang Tundup
- Jampa Kalsang Tamang
- Tsering Dorjee
- Rapke Gurung
- Pemba Bika
- Karma Chhewang
