About The Monk and the Gun
The Monk and the Gun is a movie that came out in 2023. Pawo Choyning Dorji directed, wrote, and helped make the movie. The main actors are Tandin Wangchuk, Deki Lhamo, Pema Zangmo Sherpa, Tandin Sonam, Harry Einhorn, Choeying Jatsho, Tandin Phubz, Yuphel Lhendup Selden, and Kelsang Choejay. The movie was made in Bhutan, France, the United States, and Taiwan.
It got chosen to represent Bhutan at the 96th Academy Awards for the Best International Feature Film. In December, it was one of the final 15 movies on the shortlist.
Synopsis of The Monk and the Gun
In the year 2006, Bhutan, a country, wants to become a democracy, meaning people will choose their leaders through voting. To practice for this, the government arranges a pretend election as a training. In a town called Ura, an old spiritual leader tells a monk to get weapons because he thinks big changes are coming to the country. At the same time, an American who likes old weapons comes to Bhutan looking for a special rifle. This rifle ends up in the hands of the monk.
Cast in The Monk and the Gun
- Harry Einhorn as Ron Colman
- Tandin Wangchuk as Tashi
- Deki Lhamo as Tshomo
- Pema Zangmo Sherpa as Tshering Yangden
- Tandin Sonam as Benji
- Choeying Jatsho as Choephel
- Tandin Phubz as Phurba
- Yuphel Lhendup Selden
- Kelsang Choejay
Release of The Monk and the Gun
The Monk and the Gun movie first showed to the world on September 1, 2023, at the 50th Telluride Film Festival. After that, on September 9, it was shown at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival. It was also featured at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in October 2023. In that same month, Roadside Attractions got the rights to show the movie in North America. The movie will be released in the United States on February 2, 2024.
Reception
The movie got a lot of good reviews. On the Rotten Tomatoes website, all 13 critics gave it a thumbs up, and the average score is 8 out of 10. Metacritic, which looks at different reviews, gave it a score of 74 out of 100, saying the reviews were mostly positive.
Pete Hammond, a critic from Deadline Hollywood, said the movie was one of the best at the Telluride Film Festival. He liked it even more than the director’s first film. Hammond mentioned that the movie makes a funny comment on American democracy and shows how hard it is to change a society that is innocent and doesn’t want a political revolution.
The Monk and the Gun won the Showcase Audience Choice Award at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival. It also got the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Rome Film Festival.
Alex Billington from First Showing said the movie is a fascinating look at life in Bhutan. He praised the storytelling and how the movie was filmed. Billington called it a brilliant commentary on America’s stubborn ways compared to Bhutan’s more sensible society based on Buddhism. He said watching the movie is a pleasant and uplifting experience that will deeply affect you.
Stephen Farber from The Hollywood Reporter liked the movie’s sense of humor and lively storytelling. He also praised the cast’s performances, even though he thought the story had some unnecessary complications.
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