"The Last Lost Kingdom" is a documentary settled in an area that most people probably never heard about before, the ancient kingdom of Mustang in the Himalaya, close to Tibet. We see a man following the tracks of his dead father into this remote area searching for a piece of personal connection to what his father called one of his most moving trips.
I'm generally fascinated by the topic. I indeed knew nothing about the existence of Mustang and it is beautiful to see its landscapes and how people there live their lifes. As far as this is concerned, the movie definitely has its value and can teach people about a region we still know quite few about. Nonetheless, I have to say that I'm rather puzzled, if not angry, by how the son in this movie behaves. Coming into a foreign land that welcomes him very politely he keeps asking for more and more. He wants to sleep in a cave, he wants to sleep in a house with the common people though it clearly makes his host feel uneasy, he wants to see the king, is even angry and bored when he isn't permitted to right away. On the other hand he builds up a sandcastle of how Mustang has to look for him, praising everything simple and old while demonizing the new or western, though he likes to sleep in a palace and is displeased that it is not as luxurious as he would have imagined it. In some points in fact, the local people were far more western than he was, asking him why he walks barefoot, being puzzled when he screams like a mad man seeing a yak and being positively minded towards a new street that connects Mustang with its neighboring countries. Sometimes it feels like he is in a mindset of folklore where he wants to decide how these people should live.
For the largest part, this is what makes me negative towards the film. Maybe he is indeed a nice guy and I do him wrong but in this film he left a rather negative impression. Also I have to say that the choice of partners is quite.. interesting for someone criticizing capitalism. All in all, a can but not a must see.
I'm generally fascinated by the topic. I indeed knew nothing about the existence of Mustang and it is beautiful to see its landscapes and how people there live their lifes. As far as this is concerned, the movie definitely has its value and can teach people about a region we still know quite few about. Nonetheless, I have to say that I'm rather puzzled, if not angry, by how the son in this movie behaves. Coming into a foreign land that welcomes him very politely he keeps asking for more and more. He wants to sleep in a cave, he wants to sleep in a house with the common people though it clearly makes his host feel uneasy, he wants to see the king, is even angry and bored when he isn't permitted to right away. On the other hand he builds up a sandcastle of how Mustang has to look for him, praising everything simple and old while demonizing the new or western, though he likes to sleep in a palace and is displeased that it is not as luxurious as he would have imagined it. In some points in fact, the local people were far more western than he was, asking him why he walks barefoot, being puzzled when he screams like a mad man seeing a yak and being positively minded towards a new street that connects Mustang with its neighboring countries. Sometimes it feels like he is in a mindset of folklore where he wants to decide how these people should live.
For the largest part, this is what makes me negative towards the film. Maybe he is indeed a nice guy and I do him wrong but in this film he left a rather negative impression. Also I have to say that the choice of partners is quite.. interesting for someone criticizing capitalism. All in all, a can but not a must see.
