Windhorse Review

The interesting aspect of Windhorse is that some of it was actually shot in Llasa in Tibet on video cameras by the filmmakers posing as tourists... it`s a film with a specific and dramatic agenda... we`re told at the beginning that since the Chinese invasion of Tibet 60,000 monasteries have been destroyed and over a million Tibetans have died... The film is constructed as an ode to Dorjee`s grandfather who was killed in 1979 in his village in Western Tibet for political transgressions. He was killed in his home while Dorjee, his sister Dolkar and their cousin Pema play outside. Eighteen years later when the family have moved to Llasa, Dorjee is an unemployed wastrel, and although he hates the Chinese occupation he won`t become active politically. Dolkar on the other hand is fluent in Mandarin, sings in a nightclub and is prepared to betray her country for a recording contract... while Pema has joined a nunnery... where suddenly the image or even speaking the name of the Dalai Llama is forbidden... It`s a really powerful film from documentarian Paul Wagner. And even though you know it was made with a political point to make and that the Chinese are cardboard cutout baddies, the strength of the performances, Jampa Kelsang as Dorjee, the singer Dadon as Dolkar and particularly the actress who plays Pema whose name was one of many withheld in the credits for fear of reprisals make this a compelling piece of cinema. Adding to the wonderful texture of the piece is the presence of the grandmother who`s a cranky old thing in a wonderful very natural performance. It`s interesting to note that the Chinese government protested the film`s inclusion in competition at the Hawaii International Film Festival. David`s Comments:No denying the passion expressed in this searing indictment of the Chinese treatment of peaceful Tibetans, and the courage it took to make the film. But it`s a bit didactic, isn`t it ?... The Chinese bad guys might have stepped out of the worst kind of Hollywood Cold War movie. And the Tibetan-speaking tourist isn`t a very convincing character. Still, despite these faults, the film demands to be seen.