Written and directed by a Buddhist lama, The Cup is a movie of pure enjoyment about a monastery school caught in the grips of World Cup fever. Based on real events, Bhutanese monk Khyentse Norbu used members of his own monastery as actors in portraying this lighter side of monastic life, in which one soccer-obsessed boy (Jamyang Lodro) turns renting a TV to watch the World Cup finale into a cause célèbre among his cloister's monks-in-training. Although it has deeper undertones, the film neither wears its politics on its sleeve nor aspires to be a haughty art film. It's just an unaffected transporting delight that inspires ear-to-ear grins with its humble spirit. Highly recommended. (R. Blackwelder)
The Cup
New Line, 94 min., in Tibetan and Hindi w/English subtitles, not rated, VHS: $66, Sept. 26 Vol. 15, Issue 5
The Cup
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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