The story behind Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom is almost as heartwarming as the tale that it tells, of a disillusioned teacher who finds meaning in his life (and a new use for yak dung) while teaching at the world’s most remote school. The staggeringly photogenic, emphatically feelgood first feature from Pawo Choyning Dorji, set in an isolated mountain community in Bhutan, garnered such a warm global reception that it ended up nominated in last year’s Oscars – quite an achievement for the tiny Himalayan kingdom, hardly a major player in world cinema. Lunana’s appeal is hard to miss: though rather naive in its messaging and unashamedly sentimental, the film is so pure of spirit and so open-hearted, you want to breathe it in, to fill your lungs with it.
Aspiring musician Ugyen (Sherab Dorji) has one eye on a new life in Australia. Working as a teacher for his five years of mandatory government service, he has distinguished himself with his lack of motivation and little else. But with an assignment to Lunana, an eight-day hike from the nearest bus stop, Ugyen peels himself from his phone and engages with tradition, yaks and a class full of bright-eyed poppets. The non-professional cast and Norbu the stoic yak (named, perhaps, for Bhutan’s most famous film-maker, The Cup director Khyentse Norbu) add considerably to the film’s charm.
