THARLO

"Intensely moving … [expresses] the anxious, virtually unsustainable dilemma of being a Tibetan in China today." – Keyframe

A Tibetan shepherd, sporting a distinctive ponytail and an ability to recite long passages of Mao's Little Red Book from memory, is sent to a nearby town to acquire a government ID. In these unfamiliar surroundings, he falls for a beguiling local hairdresser who suggests that they run away together; but the choice he makes will lead to consequences far beyond his reckoning.

With echoes of FW Murnau's Sunrise in its depiction of a protagonist's journey from rural equilibrium to the chaos of the city, Tharlo features a virtuoso central performance by comedian Shide Nyima. Devoid of the exoticism common to outsider depictions of Tibet, this latest film by Pema Tseden (The Search, MIFF 2010) – one of the region's most promising cinematic voices – is an unhurried work of languorous, immersive shots and masterful sound design.

"Cutting social comment with a philosophical edge worthy of Samuel Beckett." – Sight & Sound