Movie Muse by Peter Oppenheimer
The lama announces to the villagers that he will be conducting an important cere- mony on the day of the full moon, upon which the election officials decide to hold the mock election then and there, as it will be assured of getting a large turnout. To get the villagers into the spirit of the mock election. The official from the city, divides them into competing parties and has them shout slogans against each other. Herein lies part of the problem: both self-promotion and open criticism are frowned upon in their society. Even during this mock election, individual aspiring politicians are already vying to get an upper hand in the court of public opinion. Where once peace and harmony reigned in their village, now rivalries and grudges arise. Does democracy promote disharmony and divisiveness? At one point a vil- lager even asks the well-meaning election official, “Why are you teaching us to be so rude?”
It turns out that some of the most treasured gifts of western civilization may not seem so precious when seen through the eyes of a non-western civilization. As a lively and illuminating “Exhibit A,” I recommend the recent film festival darling, The Monk and the Gun (Bhutan). The Monk and the Gun is a wry critique of western influ- ence in the form of a satirical comedy about the coming of democracy and modernization to the ancient kingdom of Bhutan. Bhutan, it should be noted, is the country
that in writing a new constitution in 2008 developed its own unique index called “Gross Domestic Happiness,” which it substituted for the “Gross Domestic Product (GDP)” used by modern western democracies to measure the presumed health and success of their societies. This enchanting fable takes place in a Himalayan village, and begins just as news reaches, through the static of radio, that their beloved king has abdicated the throne in favor of democratic reforms, a crucial part of a “modernization” project, which is to bring the people of Bhutan all the wonders of other consumer societies. First, though, the people will have to learn how to vote in something called an “election,” which upon first hearing, a monk asks, “What is that? Some new pig disease?” The story unfolds against the backdrop of a mock election which officials of Bhutan are conducting as a training exercise to teach the villagers how to vote. The officials are keen to have close to a 100% turnout (to avoid the embarrass- ment of Bhutan appearing to be incapable of democracy), which is going to be an uphill battle due to general indifference, if not open resistance. The main character is a humble monk who is living with and serving the village lama, their Buddhist spiritual leader. Both the monk and the lama live a very sim- ple monastic life, consisting mostly of meditation and prayer. Upon hearing the radio announcement about the abdication and upcoming democratic elections, the lama makes a shocking request that, in the next five days, before the full moon, the monk should bring him a couple of guns. All he says by way of expla- nation is, “Our country is changing. We need to make things right.” Without hesitation the monk sets out on his quest for guns.
Meanwhile the monk is having a hard time finding a single household in the district that has a gun. Many have never in their lives seen one. But he persists in his search, which proves ultimately successful, but to what end? As nearly everyone he encounters asks, “What does a monk want with a gun?” What is the significance of the full moon ceremony? Indeed, what does the lama intend to do with the guns? Many quirky characters play significant roles in the quest, and the unfolding of events is consistently surprising, humorous and gratifying, right up to the climax. In an online interview Dorji, who also wrote and directed the similarly celebrated Lunana – A Yak in the Classroom , was asked how he would sum up what The Monk and the Gun is about. His simple reply, “It’s a celebration of Innocence.”
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