The Monk and the Gun

The Monk and the Gun is a 2023 drama film directed, written and co-produced by Pawo Choyning Dorji, and starring Tandin Wangchuk, Deki Lhamo, Pema Zangmo Sherpa, Tandin Sonam, Harry Einhorn, Choeying Jatsho, Tandin Phubz, Yuphel Lhendup Selden and Kelsang Choejay. It is an international co-production between Bhutan, Taiwan, France, the United States, and Hong Kong.

The Monk and the Gun premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on 1 September 2023. It was selected as the Bhutanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, and was one of the 15 finalist films in the December shortlist. The film was theatrically released in North America on 2 February 2024, and is scheduled to be released in France on 26 June 2024.

Plot
In 2006, as Bhutan prepares to hold its democratic election, Bhutanese government stages a mock election as a training exercise. In the town of Ura, an old lama instructs young monk Tashi to procure some firearms by way of preparation for the impending upheaval. Meanwhile, American visitor Ron Coleman arrives in the country to acquire for a weapons collector an antique rifle - which by chance falls into the monk's hands.

Cast

 * Harry Einhorn as Ron Coleman
 * Tandin Wangchuk as Tashi
 * Deki Lhamo as Tshomo
 * Pema Zangmo Sherpa as Tshering Yangden
 * Tandin Sonam as Benji
 * Choeying Jatsho as Choephel
 * Tandin Phubz as Phurba
 * Yuphel Lhendup Selden
 * Kelsang Choejay

Release
The Monk and the Gun had its world premiere on September 1, 2023, at the 50th Telluride Film Festival, and then screened on September 9 in the Centerpiece section of the 48th Toronto International Film Festival. It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in the 'A Window on Asian Cinema' section and was screened in October 2023.

In October 2023, Roadside Attractions acquired the North American distribution rights to the film. The film's North American release was on February 2, 2024.

The film was released on 2 May 2024 in Italy (where it grossed $315 thousand, ). It is scheduled to be released in France and Belgium on 26 June 2024; in Germany on 1 August and in Spain on 9 August 2024.

Critical response
Deadline Hollywood's chief film critic Pete Hammond called it one of the best films in the 50th Telluride Film Festival, writing that there was "no sophomore jinx here, this one is even better than Pawo Choyning Dorji's first, and that is saying something", and that the director "presents a gentle satirical jab at American democracy, but shows the difficulties of changing a society whose pure and lovely innocence stands in the way of a political revolution, even as they are also just discovering James Bond and The Spice Girls".

Alex Billington of the First Showing described the film as "a fascinating philosophical look at life in Bhutan, which was told with confidence and filmed absolutely perfectly", hailing it as "a brilliant satirical commentary on America's stubborn ways, as opposed to the more sensible Bhutan society based in Buddhism. Not only is watching The Monk and the Gun such a pleasant and uplifting experience, it's the kind of film that will leave you profoundly affected by the story." Billington further added that the film was "one-of-a-kind", and that it "[provided] a profoundly distinct perspective on Buddhist philosophy and Himalayan culture that many are entirely unfamiliar with and can't quite make sense of".

Reviewing the film for The Hollywood Reporter, Stephen Farber praised performances of the entire cast, the film's humour and its fast-paced narrative, whilst criticising the plot's excessively contrived development.

Accolades
The Monk and the Gun won the Showcase Audience Choice Award for the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival.

The film was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Rome Film Festival.