Honeygiver Among the Dogs (2016)
Written and directed by Dechen Roder.
This award winning film from Bhutan meanders between gorgeous rural landscapes and the relative bustle of town life. Its languid pace lulled me and drew me into its web of desire, corruption and ultimately, a strong environmental message. It is the story of a policeman, sent to a remote rural community to investigate the disappearance and possible murder of an abbess. He is warned about the local demoness, the key suspect in the case, who is young, very beautiful and (to my western eyes at least) evolves into a kind of spiritual femme fatale figure against the anti-hero detective when the action moves to town.
While it certainly falls into the Asian ‘slow cinema’ category, stylistically I felt Roder clearly had her eye on festival audiences, trying to bridge the gap between eastern and western cinema. This is particularly evident in the noir/city half of the film where the detective story takes over. It’s an inventive way to incorporate the exoticism of dakini stories from Buddhism into noir crime fiction and although the transitions are sometimes a little forced, for the most part, it pays off.
Personally, I preferred the rural scenes, where the landscape is a character and the power of Choden brings a dreamlike, magic realism quality to the screen. These sections are sublime in their beauty, with exceptional cinematography by Jigme T. Tenzing and enhanced by a wonderful soundtrack by Tashi Dorji.
It has its flaws but for a debut feature from Roder (who previously worked in advertising and music videos) it’s a pretty solid way to start. I’m keen to see what she comes up with next!
Debra Manskey 