The life of blind Creole-American blues guitarist Paul Pena is changed when, one night in San Francisco, he hears a Russian broadcast of a unique kind of singing - throat singing, coming from the tiny republic of Tuva. Utterly fascinated, Pena teaches himself the difficult art and, with a small group of friends and a camera crew, travels to Tuva, which is sandwiched between Mongolia and Siberia, to take part in a throat singing contest. There he meets master throat-singer Kongar-ol Ondar, and a friendship is born....
Music crosses all barriers, and this attractive, if rather elongated, documentary demonstrates that clearly. The tenacity of Pena is astonishing, and the warmth with which this blind stranger is greeted in the tiny country of Tuva is delightful to behold.
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