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"There's never been a road movie quite like Paths of the Soul, an extraordinary chronicle of ordinary Tibetan citizens undertaking a 1200-mile pilgrimage … a stirring study in faith and spirituality that will inspire many viewers to think about big and small questions of life." – Variety
A unique blend of documentary and narrative form befitting a similarly singular journey, the new film from acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yang (Sunflower, MIFF 2006; Quitting, MIFF 2003; Shower, MIFF 2000) follows the 1200-mile trek of a group of Tibetan Buddhists as they make the pilgrimage to the holy city of Lhasa and its revered Jokhang Temple.
Traversing the spectacular, snow-capped Himalayan landscape, the Tibetans' months-long quest is made all the more challenging by the fact that they each must pause along the way to lay their bodies flat on the ground in a "bowing pilgrimage" of spiritual devotion. Stunningly lensed with a view to the truly epic nature of this spiritual odyssey, Zhang's film also reveals a surprising amount of warmth and gentle human drama along the way.
"A one of its kind journey for true believers … Nothing prepares the viewer for this sight." – The Hollywood Reporter
