MIFF NOTES: Tharlo (2015, Dir. Pema Tseden)

I was expecting long-take slow film Tharlo to be slower and have longer takes than turned out to be the case. I was originally booked in to see this slice of black and white alcoholic shepherd in Tibet realism in Sydney but ended up skipping out of it (and Neon Bull) in favour of hitting the opening night party (a fortuitous opportunity seeing as the opener, Goldstone, was fantastic). The closest I came to Tharlo was a random guy sitting next to me at a later film who labeled director Pema Tseden lazy. He just set his camera up and let people walk in front of it, he said.

Turns out random guy was grossly overstating the stillness of Tseden's camera and his laziness. Tharlo is an exceptionally well observed film, and while it may also give ample space for its audience to observe its impeccably constructed shots, there's more than enough momentum to carry the film through what can comfortably be described as a standard narrative arc.

And this after I was primed for something excruciatingly formal.

Headed by an endearing lead performance from Shide Nyima as the well-memoried shepherd, Tharlo, Tseden's film weaves through an understated clash of cultures that takes in bureaucracy, photography, romance and karaoke, and ultimately flattens into a bout of zen depression. It's an sneakingly upsetting depiction of Tibet, one which communicates the socio-political situation through allegorical mood. Tseden's skill is how effectively he enables it to seep in.

★★★☆

Trailer:

Tharlo screened as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival 2016.

You can check out other films from the festival here.