Tharlo

An atypical Tibetan film, Tharlo is a minimalist black-and-white tale from writer-director Pema Tseden, adapting his own 2013 novella. Tharlo—aka “Pigtail”—is a mountain shepherd with no family, content to dress and work in the fashion of past generations, alone. Dutifully reporting to the nearest city to take a government-mandated ID photo, Tharlo is a curiosity to all, and he has a brief, doomed affair with a modern Tibetan girl that culture-shocks and ultimately breaks his placid spirit. The narrative takes place in austere, long takes, often with Tharlo minimized or off-center in the frame, symbolizing his dwindling stature. More frustrating for (presumably non-Tibetan) viewers will be the miniscule English subtitles, which often flash onscreen at a frustratingly fast rate for such a slow-paced drama. Longstanding controversy about China's conquest of Tibet is only treated tangentially here, mainly in a detail about the simple Tharlo having memorized reams of Mao passages. Likely to appeal to fans of foreign art house fare, this is a strong optional purchase. (C. Cassady)