Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

FilmCriticLalitRao There is no point discussing bad films but to save other innocent viewers from the agony of senseless torture it is better if some enterprising reviews are written.This is a righteous attempt in that direction.Travellers and Magicians is a very bad film for many reasons. In Buddhism it is taught that lust for sexual relationships is a very bad sin but in Travellers and Magicians there are steamy scenes of lust.So the filmmaker is not practicing what he has been preaching to his followers.Khyntse Norbu worked with Bertolucci on his film "The Last Emperorer".It is only on that basis and nothing else that he is seeking fame.What a selfish act of pretentiousness.The worst thing about this film is that it is unable to stand on its own save for the crutches of exoticism.If we remove these scenes from this film than it would be nothing more than a visual story book.This film can only be liked by people who are fed up of their own lives, own circumstances and own religion.

noontide35 The name of the movie alone fascinated me for a long time, when i finally saw it, it turned out not to be quite what i had expected. I always think deep in the essence of Buddhism there lies a hint of resignation and defeatism in the disguise of peace and harmony, but in a positive sort of way. Ppl are obsessed with the feeling of being in control, evidenced by thousands of choices made on a daily basis. But really a man has very limited power in steering his life in the way he envisioned -- entrenched in his own lifeboat in the sea of society and history, he has no way of knowing in which way the wind blows, all he can do is trying his best to maintain the balance of that boat in the raging storm so it does not tip over under the repeated attack of thunders, lightnings and the surging waves. So Buddhism says why not give up the pretense of being in control and take what's coming to you. Let go the obsession over the man-made concept of fairness and play with the cards you were dealt. The whole story of the travelers hinged on the last conversation between the official and the monk. Even what you just came to realize as the true meaning of life is only contingent truth. Everything is circumstantial, and beauty by its nature will die right in front of your eyes just as you started to get use to it. In a sense this movie is a tragedy, but done in an almost nonchalant way, and that's the beauty of it. The teasing tone of the monk also reflects the mentality of the story-telling. The official thought he had a vision in life, then the movie made painstaking efforts to build up this self-revealing moment where he discovered what he really wanted in life. And that moment itself was done in such a casual way you'd miss it if you blinked. Then when the movie drew to the end he dismissed that revelation with a brief smile and we were back to where we started. Then you would have the revelation of your own as the credits started to roll : Oh, so it's like a Samsara.Speaking of which, the story in the story about lust and murder (or it's more like the story in the story which is in the main story) reflects my favorite quote in the movie "Samsara". In that movie, a monk succumbed to the flesh of a woman and deflected to the worldly life, and years later his dying master sent him a message: "I'm about to die. And I know I haven't achieved Nirvana in this life so I'm destined to go into Samsara and come back to this world as a new born. Maybe we should meet again, and then you can tell me, which is more fulfilling -- to satisfy a thousand desire or to conquer one."

John Foster It's a bit simplistic to call this a "road movie", but certainly much of the story follows a group of unlikely Bhutanese travellers hitch-hiking and riding in all manner of vehicles. Interspersed with this theme is a second story of a love triangle in the rugged mountains. Both stories are commentaries about the complexities of life and romance in the Himalayas as western ways take root.Comparisons will inevitably be drawn with Khyentse Norbu's earlier movie, The Cup, and I have to admit that I preferred The Cup. I'll never forget the youthful exuberance of those monks as the World Cup soccer final approached. And I feel the Buddhist message was a bit more direct in The Cup.However, the tagline of Travellers and Magicians is "The bitter and sweet of temporary things", and this sounds pretty Buddhist to me. We tend to forget that everything is transitory and grasp at it as if it will exist forever, and this is the cause of our suffering.And that, kind friends, is the extent of my Buddhist wisdom for today.Enjoy!

philserve Often less is more...and that is part of the message in this movie, as well as the style. With so many empty, soul-less blockbusters to fray our nerves, Travellers and Magicians is a refreshing and heartfelt view into the psyche of the Bhutanese people, Buddhism, the Himalayas and human joy, passion and suffering. The theme of the movie is someone wanting to be somewhere else, in this case, the 'dream' of America, the land of opportunity, when a more wonderful opportunity arises right in front of him, and changes his mind...perhaps.The director, a Buddhist monk and lama, (who also directed "The Cup")was inspired by Bertolucci, and TAM has a similar minimalist kind of style and presentation to Little Buddha. And this is perfectly apt for the country of Bhutan, and the pace serves to bring out the heart and soul of the movie. The photography is wonderful, showing sweeping shots of the beautiful Bhutanese Himalayas and countryside. All the characters are rich without being caricatures, and the mix of 'reality' and myth (a real Bhutanese fable) works well. The traveling Buddhist monk really stands out, IMO.If you're looking for a movie with heart, a simple message and gorgeous scenery, just sit back and soak in the beauty found on several levels in this movie.** SPOILERS **I went to the initial release of the movie in the US, and the director of photography, Alan Koslowski, as well as the main female actor, high schooler Sonam Llamo, were present afterward for Q&A. Some of the things they said were quite interesting: there was not one professional actor in the movie - the apple man is really an apple man, Deki works in a bank, and the two main male characters in the movie, Dendrup and Tashi, are in Bhutan TV and movie production. The apple man, in real life, actually has never seen a real movie, and didn't understand the concept of "cut", or retakes - he couldn't understand why he had to get back on the bus several times in a row!