“Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells” is the latest effort from noted Korean independent director Jeon Soo Il, who previously won praise and prizes for his “With a Girl of Black Soil”. This time, he heads to the wilds of Nepal for a minimalist, yet grand tale featuring some truly breathtaking scenery and a documentary style look at the local culture and way of life. The film is arguably somewhat of a step up the industry ladder for Jeon, with the presence of actor Choi Min Sik, here taking on his first role since Park Chan Wook’s “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” back in 2005, likely meaning that it will reach a far wider audience than most indie features.
The plot is fairly simple, following Choi Min Sik as Choi, a middle aged businessman whose job looks to be in trouble. After he hears that a Nepalese worker called Dorgy has died at his brother’s factory, he decides to return the man’s ashes to Sharkot, his village deep in the mountains of Nepal. Choi sets off on his journey quite unprepared, wandering through the harsh countryside and battling the elements in just his suit, almost killing himself in the process. Once he finally reaches Sharkot and meets Dorgy’s family he decides to stay with them for a while, experiencing a different way of life while he slowly gets around to telling them about his death.
Undoubtedly the main reason for watching “Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells” is the absolutely fantastic and stunning scenery. With a naturalistic style and some unobtrusive camera work that tends to just sit back and bask in the wonder, Jeon does a great job of capturing the amazing rugged beauty of the region. The film has a sense of majesty and awe throughout, which is all the more satisfying for the fact that he is simply making use of the glory of nature, making for something infinitely more impressive than any special effects could ever create. Although it is somewhat of a shame not to experience the film on the big screen as it was no doubt intended to be seen, even on DVD its visuals are still quite astonishing.
Indeed, the mountains and landscape are very much a character in themselves, with Jeon’s documentary style approach putting them firmly at the centre of the film. The snowy mountains are a constant presence in the background, providing not only a sense of place and remoteness, but also of man’s insignificance in the grand scheme of things. The film also features a great deal of local colour, wandering as it does up mountain paths, through villages and past temples. The soundtrack is subtle, and often relies upon basic musical instruments, or simply upon the endless whistling and wailing of the wind, making the title an apt one. This lends the proceedings an almost hypnotic quality, and helps to immerse the viewer in Choi’s soul searching journey.
Choi Min Sik is one of the best and most versatile Korean actors and is on fine form here, being completely believable in the main role. The film features a mix of English, Korean and local dialects, not all of which are subtitled, giving it an authentic feel. The film does feature long stretches without any dialogue, and a lot of it is fairly simple, following Choi wandering around, spending time with the locals, or even just staring out at the mountains. As such, the film is slowly paced and meandering, which may prove a challenge to some viewers expecting more in the way of traditional drama. For those with patience, the film is quietly affecting and deeply humanistic, making for a far more believable personal journey and character arc than the vast majority of more scripted conventional efforts.
Indeed, for many, in these days where sticking to the formula and spoon feeding viewers trite character manipulations is the accepted norm, “Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells” will come as a breath of fresh air. Poetic, beautiful and honest, it makes for an immersive experience, and confirms Jeon Soo Il as one of the most talented directors working in the Korean independent film scene.
Soo-il Jeon (director) / Soo-il Jeon (screenplay)
CAST: Min-sik Choi, Hamo Gurung, Namgya Gurung, Tsering Kipale Gurung, Tenjing Sherpa
