Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

There are lots of gently beautiful moments in ­Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, the first film from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to be nominated for an Oscar.

A reminder of how cinema can connect us to what matters most in life, sharing a specific story from a part of the world most of us will never experience, but zoning in on matters of the heart that resonate in a universal way.

Dorji avoids predictable turns, instead building the drama toward an affecting tangle of feelings and an open-ended promise of transformation.

The writer-director, Pawo Choyning Dorji, is quite aware that he is playing out a predictable narrative here, but he unfolds it with heartfelt simplicity. The film is, after all, a kind of fable.

Lunana proceeds with a slow, steady flow that complements the modest charms of its familiar fish-out-of-water narrative.

It struck a nimble balance between low-key humor and life-affirming drama.

Endearing and uplifting, a simple tale from the country that measures national productivity in a happiness index, this is both armchair traveller's trek through spectacular Bhutanese wilderness and a journey of self-discovery

It’s a rare situation where the making of the movie is just as interesting as the movie itself.

Even when not entirely successful, one cannot deny the charming intentions at play.

A likeable, if unremarkable arthouse jaunt serving up an overly sweet, oft-told affirmation about the importance of teachers...As for the yak action, it’s a full 50 minutes before we see a yak, then another 20 before they become a major part of the story.