(SCFF 2024) Film Review #115: Kong and Jigme 回西藏 (2022)
Kong and Jigme [回西藏] (2022)
Worlds collide in this dual effort by relative newcomer Lhapal Gyal and acclaimed Golden Rooster award-winning director Guoxing Chen, with an inspired and ambitious adventure based on a true story that takes place in the great Tibetan expanse.
While the desert wind blows viciously, a lone figure in the yonder slowly approaches the foreground. His vestige is a blur, until a separate shadow of a man and mule descends upon his unexpectedly prone body in the sand. Lao Kong (Yang Song, in a Golden Rooster nominated- performance), travels to Tibet for his new role, but a wrong turn almost causes the Chinese government official to succumb to the unforgiving desert, until he is rescued by Jigme (Jigpa), an enigmatic figure whose identity escapes Kong just as fast as he arrived to save him.
After a hoopla over the burial of dead goats and a loss in translation among the townspeople, Kong once again meets Jigme, who proves to be well-versed in both Tibetan and Mandarin (What can he not do?). When Kong employs his saviour as his dedicated translator, they kickstart a buddy movie of epic proportions, traversing the countryside and encountering a diverse cast of characters that threaten to put their newfound friendship to the test.
Like the wide-eyed Kong who slowly discovers a place unlike his own, we too, are taken on the fascinating Tibetan experience of gastronomic ‘Tsampa’ (Tibetan food staple) delights, a bar brawl set in a dingy drinking hole and a sentimental brush with death amongst others. But, be prepared to commit, as this is a film that enjoys taking its time (over almost 2-hour long to be exact), while surrendering to the sights and sounds, naturally giving storytelling a backseat.
As the film ambles along, the men grow closer together and become fast friends, but the action is slow to come, with some instances marred by at times, hurried dialogues and a slightly overinflated midpoint. However, the journey is all that matters in Chen and Gyal’s collaborative mumblecore, one set to guttural “Lu songs” and featuring traditional “Guozhuang dance”, you will be sure to learn a thing or two about Tibet.
Behind the lens of Daming Guo, known for spectacles such as 2018’s Up the Mountain, we are treated to a sumptuous visual buffet of the natural beauty of Tibet, offering a glimpse into this unfamiliar yet beguiling autonomous region of China. Kong and Jigme is as much a study of human relation as it is a celebration of diversity and life in all its shapes and forms.
As Kong succinctly puts it, “Our ultimate goal is about respect for life, we just handle it in different ways”. And so is the beauty of this movie, for showing how two people can be so different yet so closely entwined - exceptionally relevant for the current state of the world, reminding us how being a little more inclusive can go a long way, life-long almost, as in the friendship of Kong and Jigme.
Author's bio: Leon is a huge film buff who enjoys horror, psychological thrillers, and drinking too much coffee for his own good. In his spare time, he writes film critiques and goes on solo trips around Asia.
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Kong and Jigme [回西藏] is part of the Singapore Chinese Film Festival 2024 and is scheduled to screen on 1 May 2024, Sunday, 8pm at GV Bugis+. Purchase your tickets here: https://www.gv.com.sg/GVMovieDetails?movie=2174#/movie/2174
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