The Monk and the Gun (2023)

"We were already happy"

In 1999 television and the internet became legal in Bhutan ushering in a new era to the small country sandwiched between China and India. In an even greater societal shakeup in 2006, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced his intention to step down and have the country transition to a constitutional monarchy. The people in the village of Ura faced a steep learning curve as they struggled to balance their long-held traditions with the encroaching modernization. And what could be a bigger example of polar opposites colliding than seeing a peaceful monk carrying a gun through fields of flowers in The Monk and the Gun.

An election official comes to Ura to register voters and stage a mock election to prepare the people for the real thing. The beloved Buddhist lama hears the news and tells his young monk to bring him two guns. “Things need to be made right.” In a country where many people had never even seen a gun, Tashi had a daunting task. The obedient monk didn’t know why the guns were needed but proceeded to go house to house in search of one. Someone else was also looking for a gun. An American gun dealer and collector, Ron Coleman, along with his guide, Benji, sought to make a deal with a local villager who was in possession of a rare American Civil War rifle.

The election official had her hands full trying to register the villagers as some had no idea when their exact birthdate was. They also weren’t exactly sure what the election was all about and why their king was abdicating. Was all this change really worth it? “Democracy will be the pinnacle of Gross National Happiness.” “We were already happy.” People began fighting about candidates, especially one family where a son-in-law bucked tradition by refusing to back the elder’s choice. The gun collector was led on a merry chase for his prize unaware that the police were chasing him. The collision was priceless.

Brilliant fields of flowers, emerald green hills---the cinematography had a lot to work with and made the most of a beautiful setting. The acting was mostly natural but unexceptional. A wife torn between her husband and mother revealed the conflict between tradition and modernization. All she wanted was for her family to be happy. The tenacious election official was determined to have the villagers prepared for when the real election took place. And the young monk who thought the name of the election was a pig disease just kept putting one foot in front of the other in order to comply with his master. The American was just as clueless about what was going on because despite most of the characters being uninterested in money, both his treasure and significant sums of money kept slipping through his fingers.

The Monk and the Gun was a gentle, humorous, and insightful examination of a society transitioning and wanting the changes to be meaningful and not negatively impact their way of life. The lama stood ready to help the villagers focus on eliminating hatred and conflict as they learned to embrace a say in their own government. People were also beginning to understand that being able to choose didn’t always mean the choices were great. “I can’t believe this idiot represents the ‘freedom and equality party.’” Welcome to democracy.

16 September 2024

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