Her mother’s lullabies do little to soothe a spirited preteen girl who faces her community’s grim patriarchal rule in rural Nepal.
Against a lyrical and naturalistic visual canvas reminiscent of non-fiction filmmaking, writer and director Abinash Bikram Shah meticulously constructs a chilling narrative that speaks of the vicious cycle of patriarchal oppression ceremoniously being passed down by mothers over generations, as mellifluous folk songs speak of sadness and guilt. The film world premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Mention award.
Abinash Bikram Shah
Abinash Bikram Shah is a National Award-winning writer and director based in Nepal. His most recent short film, Lori, was nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Special Mention Award. Previous works include Highway, which premiered at Berlinale, and The Black Hen, which won the International Critics’ Week at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. Shah’s most recent film as a writer, Shambhala, was selected at Berlinale this February. He is currently working on his debut feature film.
