Strange times: Without firearms, nothing works in the hapless present.
Photo: © MFA+ FilmDistribution
When the government of Bhutan drafted its legal code in 1729, the first article proclaimed: “The purpose of a government is to secure the happiness of its citizens, and if a government cannot provide happiness, it has no reason to exist.” For this reason, the country sealed itself off from colonization and globalization for a long time. Authority remained with the king and people lived happily according to the 2,500-year-old teachings of Buddha. Internet, cell phones and cable television were not introduced.
In this country with the unique index of gross national happiness, Pawo Choyning Dorji’s film “What does the lama want with the gun?” takes place. The 41-year-old director has already been nominated for an Oscar in the Best International Film category in 2022 for his first feature film “Lunana – Happiness lies in the Himalayas”.
His latest, highly enjoyable mix of drama, political satire and road movie is set in 2006. The king had decided to open himself to the achievements of modernity, abdicated and ordered his people to hold the first democratic elections in order to prepare his country for progress towards a parliamentary monarchy to transform.
When the lama of the village of Ura, played by the current real lama, hears about this, he orders his master student Tashi (Tandin Wangchuk) – in real life lead singer of the alternative rock band Misty Terrace – to get him two rifles by the next full moon. This is how he wants to “put things back in order.” Of course, Tashi doesn’t question his revered master’s intentions, but instead sets out to find out whether there are any guns in Bhutan. The premise, which is already clear in the German title, means that you follow the film with excitement until the denouement.
From the very beginning, Jigme Tenzing’s photographs enrapture the viewer: one enjoys lingering in the photographs of the village and its peace-loving residents as well as the untouched landscape in the Himalayan mountains. In Bhutan, environmental protection is enshrined in the constitution.
In a parallel plot, however, the shady arms dealer, the American Ronald Coleman (Harry Einhorn), is already looking for historical weapons in the country. His behavior represents Americans’ dangerous obsession with guns. He is supported by Benji from the city.
In another storyline, the ambitious government employee Yangden (Pema Zangmo Sherpa) sets out to explain the electoral principle to her peace-loving fellow citizens. By the way, she is played by a singer who otherwise runs a shoe store. Yangden is to hold a test election in Ura.
But the upcoming changes are already causing a lot of unrest among the villagers. Tshomo and Choephel’s daughter is bullied at school because her father supports the Progressive Party and doesn’t want to vote for the Conservatives like everyone else. His mother-in-law hasn’t spoken to him since then either. You can also choose a party that stands for progress and equality. The big postal bargaining has already begun.
When Tashi is later asked if he had heard about the election, he innocently asks if it is the new swine disease. When the villagers are being taught how to shout at each other at a rally, an old woman asks the election officer what that’s about. “We’re not like that,” she says, horrified. Meanwhile, Ron and Benji have found something with a heavily indebted farmer. His family owned a rifle from the American Civil War.
Sheer greed lights up Ronald’s eyes when he sees the valuable antique. But how surprised he is when the owner rejects the sum offered to him. It is too high. Eventually they agree on a lower price and Benji and the arms dealer make their way to the bank. It’s very amusing how Dorji repeatedly satirizes the mindset of people who have capitalism written into their DNA. But his compatriots are also viewed with loving irony. A great scene in which Tashi goes into a store to order “black water” (Coca Cola). The Bond film “Quantum of Solace” is playing on the TV there, with people shooting around with an AK-47. The Kalashnikov becomes the epitome of a weapon for the stubborn monk, which leads to even more amusing complications.
But first Tashi shows up at the farmer’s house. As a messenger from the venerable Lama, he gives him the rifle that he actually promised Ron. Finally, all the storylines come together skilfully at the village’s stupa, a small structure that symbolizes harmony and love. Ron once asks Benji, irritated, if the lama is planning to kill someone. After all, he is a monk! Benji responds like a character from a Tarantino movie: “I don’t know, man. These are strange times.”
“What does the lama want with the gun?”: Bhutan/USA/France/Taiwan 2023. Director/screenplay: Pawo Choyning Dorji. Starring: Tandin Wangchuk, Kelsang Choejay, Deki Lhamo, Pema Zangmo Sherpa, Tandin Sonam, Harry Einhorn. 107 minutes. Start: 1.8.
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