Marginal Geographies: Independent Masterworks from China
Saturday, September 24 | 8 pm
Tharlo—the fourth feature from acclaimed Tibetan writer-director Pema Tseden (Old Dog)—follows its titular protagonist, a shepherd with a remarkable memory, as he makes a rare visit to a nearby town to obtain a government-issued ID card. While there, he enters into a tentative romance with a young hairdresser that leads him to reconsider his austere, solitary existence. Anchored by engaging, understated performances from its two leads, Tharlo is at once a deft character study and a philosophical meditation on the nature of personal and geographical identity. The film’s elegant, two-part structure reflects the fundamental duality of a Tibetan culture poised halfway between tradition and modernity, while Tseden’s rigorous, geometric compositions—lensed in gleaming black-and-white—and masterful use of off-screen sound lend both its urban and rural landscapes a quiet, lyrical grace.
Director Pema Tseden 2015 China 123 minutes NR DCP
