travellers and magicians film

Travellers and Magicians

Original title: ཆང་ཧུབ་ཐེངས་གཅིག་གི་འཁྲུལ་སྣང.

Streaming in:

We checked for updates on 249 streaming services on June 7, 2024 at 5:08:08 AM. Something wrong? Let us know!

Travellers and Magicians streaming: where to watch online?

You can buy "Travellers and Magicians" on Apple TV as download or rent it on Apple TV online.

A young government official, named Dondup, who is smitten with America (he even has a denim gho) dreams of escaping there while stuck in a beautiful but isolated village. He hopes to connect in the U.S. with a visa out of the country. He misses the one bus out of town to Thimphu, however, and is forced to hitchhike and walk along the Lateral Road to the west, accompanied by an apple seller, a Buddhist monk with his ornate, dragon-headed dramyin, a drunk, a widowed rice paper maker, and his beautiful daughter, Sonam.

Production country

People who liked travellers and magicians also liked.

Popular movies coming soon

Upcoming Action & Adventure movies

Similar Movies you can watch for free

• In Theaters
• Video Store
• New Releases / Coming Soon
• Best Sellers
• Foreign Films
• Documentaries
• Ordering Information
• Browse all Films
• Ordering Info

Travellers & Magicians

• Film Format: 35mm
• Origin: Bhutan
• Runtime: 108
• Dolby SR/SRD
• Language: Dzongkha
• Subtitles: English
• Promotional

Khyentse Norbu

TRAVELLERS & MAGICIANS is Khyentse Norbu’s follow-up to his internationally successful 1999 feature THE CUP. After making its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, THE CUP won critical acclaim and festival awards around the world, as well as being distributed in over 40 countries. The New York Times named Khyentse Norbu “a born filmmaker” and London’s Evening Standard called him “one of the hottest new directorial talents around.” THE CUP is Khyentse Norbu’s semi-autobiographical tale of a group of monks obsessed with the World Cup soccer final. The surprise international hit helped humanise the image of Tibetan monks, too often portrayed as one dimensional saints. Shot in a Tibetan refugee colony in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, THE CUP was made with a cast and crew of mostly monks and novices. Amazingly, the average scene required only three takes, which director Khyentse Norbu attributed to their powers of meditation. Filmmaking credentials aside, Khyentse Norbu is also known as His Eminence Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. He is one of the most important incarnate lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and a member of one of Bhutan’s most noble families. Born in a remote area of eastern Bhutan in the Year of the Metal Ox (1961), he is the son of contemporary Buddhist master Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, and grandson of both tantric yogi Lama Sonam Zangpo and H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche. At the age of seven, Khyentse Norbu was recognised as the third incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the nonsectarian saint, scholar and principal lama of Tibet’s Dzongsar Monastery. Dzongsar Monastery is renowned as a centre of non-sectarian scholarship and contemplation, having produced many of the greatest Tibetan Buddhist masters, scholars and practitioners of the last century. Raised in strict Buddhist monasteries and institutions in Bhutan and Sikkim, Khyentse Norbu was trained by some of the greatest living masters of Vajrayana Buddhism. He has continued his non-sectarian heritage by founding retreat centres, schools of philosophy and charitable foundations around the world. When not making films, he teaches Buddhist philosophy throughout Asia, North and South America, Europe and Australia. Although his work schedule requires constant travel, he spends several months each year in strict meditative retreat. Khyentse Norbu’s first encounter with film was as a 19-yearold monk. While travelling from his home to college, he caught a glimpse of a Bollywood epic on TV at an Indian railway station. Soon after, Raymond Steiner (then directing children’s films in India) gave him his first lesson in photography. Khyentse Norbu continued his Buddhist studies, but his interest in film never wavered. He began travelling and teaching, eventually making his way to London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. He studied during the day but it was London’s cinema halls that were his true classroom. In the early 90s, he befriended producer Jeremy Thomas, then in pre-production for Bernardo Bertolucci’s LITTLE BUDDHA. Inspired by their conversations, Khyentse Norbu enrolled in a four-week course at the New York Film Academy. Thomas introduced Khyentse Norbu to Bertolucci who enlisted him as a consultant on LITTLE BUDDHA and cast him in a small role. While working on the film, Khyentse Norbu paid keen attention to Bertolucci, absorbing everything the director had to teach. “He’s almost like my film guru,” said Khyentse Norbu. Both Bertolucci and Thomas encouraged Khyentse Norbu to make his own films. As executive producer, Thomas was instrumental in raising funds for THE CUP. The extensive film library at Khyentse Norbu’s Paro, Bhutan home reveals his eclectic taste. NATURAL BORN KILLERS is filed next to Chinese art film WARM WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE. DIRTY DANCING is filed next to Kurosawa’s DODESKADEN. Among his favourite directors are Tarkovsky, De Sica, Ozu, Satyajit Ray and the new wave of Iranian filmmakers. He is never without the movie schedule of whichever city he finds himself in.

• Download Press Kit (PDF)
• Download Ad Slicks (PDF)
• Download (SIT)

Media Manager

Item successfully added to your cart, cart summary.

'Travelers And Magicians' Tells The Struggle For Spiritual Identity In The Modern World

(Welcome to A Passage to India , a new series where we explore great works from all over South Asia for unacquainted viewers, all of them available to stream.)

To cinema, he's Khyenste Norbu , New York Film Academy alumnus, consultant to Bertolucci on Little Buddha and Bhutan's premier director. His second feature, Travelers and Magicians , was the first to be shot entirely in the Kingdom; his third, Vara: A Blessing , was the first Bhutanese film in the English language.

To Tibetan and Bhutanese Buddhism however, he's Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche , a reincarnate lama and the grandson of spiritual leader Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, the first supreme head of the Nyingma lineage appointed by none other than the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama. Few filmmakers occupy such a unique cultural space.

It would be natural to think these worlds incompatible. One some level, Norbu himself might agree; such is the tragedy of modernity, captured here on celluloid in ways that attempt to reconcile two warning halves of the soul. Dzongkha-language Travelers and Magicians (2003) tells the tale of a man trapped similarly between realities. A city dweller, appointed to a tiny village in the Kingdom of Bhutan on India's north-eastern border, making his way to America in a tale that feels both fundamentally Buddhist, and yet fundamentally Western. An internal struggle, externalized ethereally, in the form of stories within stories.

Dondup, the Discontented

Bhutan is often considered the world's happiest country — usually by its own metric . Travelers and Magicians opens with a tour of this characteristic joy. A rural happiness, born from breathing in the pure air of the lush-green mountains. A traditional warmth, bouncing between men dressed in colourful gho shooting arrows at targets, not for competition or sport, but for each other's enjoyment. These villagers are simple, but buoyant, partaking in simple rituals for the sake of togetherness. Their happiness is that of neighbors who bid even village newcomers farewell, with gifts of cheese and words of comfort.

One such newcomer, on his way out the door no sooner than he arrives, is Dondup (Tshewang Dendup), who stands apart from the rest of the village. His hair is long. He smokes in secret. His gho is black; it droops, as if neglected. His very presence feels disrespectful. He owns an "I [Heart] New York" t-shirt, which he wears with denims under his traditional garb, and he trades in prayer flags for pictures of models and an Uncle Sam poster, displayed on his wall. His cassette tapes, which he blasts from a characteristically '90s boombox, are all in English. Dondup dreams of a life in America. He waits impatiently for a letter from abroad summoning him to Thimpu, the capital city, where he hopes to acquire a Visa. Unbeknownst to his employers, his new government posting in the village won't last; he knows he's destined for the West, be it as a dishwasher or an apple picker or any job he can find — a step down in status from his current employ, yet several steps up financially.

Condescension is Dondup's calling card. To him, anything is better than the restaurant-less, cinema-less mundanity of the Kingdom's interiors. He is unhappy. He desires luxuries just outside his grasp. It can be argued desire is the cause of his unhappiness, as the central teachings of Buddhism would tell you. Travelers and Magicians however, has no intention of converting anyone to asceticism, least of all its protagonist. Whatever the root of Dondup's sorrows, it's their manifestation that needs correcting; rural simplicity may not be his calling, but he looks down on those who find contentment in the ways of the old-world and its spiritual musings.

When the letter arrives, Dondup rushes to the roadside to hitch a ride to the future. Thimpu is two day's drive, and the city's upcoming religious festival means Dondup isn't the only one waiting for car or depending on the kindness of others. En route to America, the land of his dreams, a place where "they don't even know where Bhutan is," Dondup waits by the road with fellow hitchhikers (a monk, an apple picker, a rice paper salesman and his daughter Sonam) whom he, at first, doesn't allow himself to connect with. Whatever their struggles, whatever their stories, they're simply hurdles to Dondup's journey. Though in being forced to see their humanity, their kindness, and their perspectives up close, this city-dweller bound for technological marvels begins to see the magic around him — not only in the mountains, but in its people.

Norbu's M.O. might be subtle — much of its story hinges on mere glances by Tshewang Dendup, the film's only professional actor — but Travelers and Magicians is deeply affecting. It plays, in itself, like an act of reconciliation, arriving at answers that seek not to bridge impossible physical and cultural gaps, but to guide one as they navigate the journey between them.

Picture-in-Picture

For most other films steeped in religious doctrine, the appearance of a literal preacher — in this case, a Buddhist monk hitchhiking alongside Dondup — would ordinarily spell narrative doom. Writer-director Norbu, however, uses this authorial stand-in for a more esoteric purpose than sermon. Upon recognizing Dondup's irritability (towards the apple-picker, and towards the monk himself), the Buddhist, a cheeky twenty-something with a sparkle in his eye, strums away on his dramyin and tells the tale of two brothers as a parable for Dondup's journey.

Rather than an instructional on morality, the monk's story — broken up each time the group hitches a ride and resuming during breaks and nightfall — is a cautionary tale of the all-consuming nature of desire, should it go unchecked. The sepia-washed apologue plays like a flashback, telling the story of older brother Tashi, a student of magic with his head in the clouds, and younger brother Karma, who envies the opportunities Tashi seems to waste. Fed-up with his brother's squandered potential and desire to escape, and perhaps seeking to replace him, Karma slips a strange herbal mixture into Tashi's drink.

The concoction awakens something deep within the magician-in-training. He begins seeing the world in new hues — shades of blue and green layered over the sepia, as if merging dream with reality — as time begins to accelerate and the heavens pour down on him. Tashi rides a magical horse helter-skelter to escape the pelting rain, going further than he ought to and landing up outside an isolated jungle dwelling that feels plucked from a different era. Stranded mid-forest and with no memory of his path, he knocks on the door. An old woodcutter and his young wife, Deki, take Tashi in, healing his wounds and feeding him until he's ready to leave. He eventually overstays his welcome; Deki draws his gaze just as he draws hers. The young conjurer is far more suited to Deki than her cranky old hsuband, but Tashi's presence is still an intrusion in this mysterious abode.

As time goes on, and as the woodcutter remains silent about the ongoing affair, Tashi's reality begins to exhibit surreal hues once more. Days turn to weeks, and weeks to months, yet time seems to stand still. Tashi's plan to kill the old man and replace him, by poisoning his drink no less, leaves him trapped in a cycle of difficult decisions with results are outside his control. Life in this new world is chaos, and Tashi has no way to return from it.

The dreamlike fable, while thematically similar, acts in direct contrast to Dondup's narrative. The realist approach to the Bhutanese hillside, with wide lenses allowing Dondup to breathe in his surroundings (even though he'd rather be elsewhere) find themselves replaced by long, voyeuristic telephotos as Tashi peers in on rooms, situations and a wife that are not his. The monk's friendly cadence and occasional teasing of the privileged Dondup suggest this "warning" isn't meant to deter the America-bound official, though its be-careful-what-you-wish-for morality allows Dondup to come to his own conclusions.

That is to say, now smitten with the rice paper salesman's daughter after two days on the road, Dondup, like Tashi, is now in a more vulnerable position. As the group travels, any decision Dondup makes affects more than just himself. Every action comes with a weight strapped to it. By choice, or otherwise, Dondup the loner is now part of a community, tethered to those around him.

The Magic of Realism

The monk's phantasmagoric tale features Tashi, a man turning away from the magic of his masters, fighting against the very formalism of his narrative. The skies morph in mysterious ways, as the forest summons sounds and visions of his past. Tashi ignores them, charging swiftly away in lieu of a future he isn't prepared for. Instead, he seeks only a grim reality where he may well murder a man out of base desire and live isolated from society, burdened by his guilt, cut off from the fields of his ancestors —fields that the monk's memory has turned brown.

Dondup's fields, however, are so green you could get lost in them. The skies above him are blue as the ocean — Alan Kozlowski's vivacious cinematography turns the very concept of reality into something dreamlike — though unlike Tashi's eerie surroundings, this natural simplicity is the magic Dondup turns his back on.

The monk's story, of a man whose journey leaves him trapped in a cycle of unkindness, doesn't seek to change Dondup's perspective, but to contextualize it. Dondup's departure is, perhaps, a foregone conclusion, though the selfishness of his journey turns his compatriots into inconveniences. As Dondup charges towards the future, the aged rice paper salesman searches new ways to make a living in a world where he now competes with machines; his daughter Sonam, a teenager, has to leave school in order to help him work. Those left behind by modernity and taking refuge in the simple things communicate their stories to Dondup — directly, soulfully, and humbly. The camera is ever-focused on Dondup's silent response, the vibrant backdrop enveloping him like a colourful echo.

Dondup's annoyance with the apple picker soon turns to camaraderie, though no action of the picker himself is the catalyst. His dismissal of the monk's music and story, and of the salesman's trade, undergo a similar metamorphosis as he sits with them on the back of a truck, his scorn turning slowly to empathy. No high-stakes action Dondup performs, no life-changing decision he makes for the majority of the runtime, reflects this change, though his internal journey is mapped out on the actor's face in every scene. The kindness behind Dondups eyes, once drowned under layers of frustration, floats slowly to the surface, often as he listens in silence. 

For the most part, the film features no background score. Its music is diegetic: the pop songs about escape blaring from Dondup's speakers before they run out of battery, and the monk's calming strings that gradually replace them. As the journey progresses, Dondup's decision to leave grows harder and harder. While alternatives certainly present themselves — Sonam is leaving school to live and work in Dondup's village, and she's clearly taken a liking to him — Dondup's eye remains fixed on his fantasy future. The weight of what he leaves behind, however, has begun to grow.

Nothing, physically, has changed during Dondup's journey. His life has stayed its linear course, en route to a new beginning that may as well be set in stone. What has changed however, in his mere twenty-four hours on the road, is his capacity for kindness. He is now able, and perhaps willing, to see the value in places and people he once ignored. Their journeys may not be as long as his — every character's footwear (if any) gets its due closeup as they alight, showing us what they can afford; only the city-dweller wears sneakers — and their ambitions may not be not as lofty, whether through conditioning or circumstance, but they are still his fellow travelers, whatever their destination.

Whether or not Dondup feels at home in this land, whether or not he feels kinship with its kindly people, their arms will always be open to him. Perhaps his arms will open too.

Travelers and Magicians is available on FilmStruck.

Travelers and Magicians (2003)

• User Reviews

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews

• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews
• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

Travellers and Magicians

Cast & crew.

Lhakpa Dorji

Sonam Kinga

Sonam Lhamo

Deki Yangzom

Gomchen Penjore

• Average 7.4

Information

© 2003 Prayer Flag Pictures

Copyright © 2024 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.

Internet Service Terms Apple TV & Privacy Cookie Policy Support

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Hit Man Link to Hit Man
• Am I OK? Link to Am I OK?
• Jim Henson Idea Man Link to Jim Henson Idea Man

New TV Tonight

• The Boys: Season 4
• Bridgerton: Season 3
• Presumed Innocent: Season 1
• The Lazarus Project: Season 2
• The Big Bakeover: Season 1
• How Music Got Free: Season 1
• Love Island: Season 6

Most Popular TV on RT

• Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• Eric: Season 1
• House of the Dragon: Season 2
• Sweet Tooth: Season 3
• Evil: Season 4
• Dark Matter: Season 1
• Ren Faire: Season 1
• Tires: Season 1
• Star Wars: Ahsoka: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1 Link to Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Glen Powell Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

Star Wars TV Shows Ranked by Tomatometer

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Movie Re-Release Calendar 2024: Your Guide to Movies Back In Theaters

Vote For the Best Movie of 1999 – Round 4

• Trending on RT
• Netflix's Best Movies
• Vote: 1999 Movie Showdown

Travelers and Magicians

What to know.

Interwined tales of spiritual discovery are set against a gorgeous, evocative landscape in this pleasant, engaging import.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Khyentse Norbu

Lhakpa Dorji

Sonam Kinga

Sonam Lhamo

Deki Yangzom

Gomchen Penjore

More Like This

• Rankings FA
• TV Premiere Calendar
• Coming in 2024
• Latest Reviews
• Cannes 2024 New

Travellers and Magicians

• Credits 
• Trailers  [1]
• Image gallery  [1]

All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders and/or producers/distributors.

All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.

User history

Turn autoplay off

Turn autoplay on

Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off

• Jump to content [s]
• Jump to site navigation [0]
• Jump to search [4]
• Terms and conditions [8]
• Your activity
• Email subscriptions
• Account details
• Linked services
• Press office
• Guardian Print Centre
• Guardian readers' editor
• Observer readers' editor
• Terms of service
• Privacy policy
• Advertising guide
• Digital archive
• Digital edition
• Guardian Weekly
• Buy Guardian and Observer photos

Today's paper

• Main section
• G2 features
• Comment and debate
• Editorials, letters and corrections
• Other lives
• EducationGuardian
• Life & style
• Environment

Travellers and Magicians

Details: 2003, Rest of the world, 108 mins

Direction: Khyentse Norbu

With: Tshewang Dendup

User reviews

Today's best video, the week in tv, 'get your arse out, mate', spanish football player's stunning solo goal, whitewater kayaking: 'i wanted to spend every day on the river'.

• Most viewed

Last 24 hours

• 2. Star Wars Episode VII: what we know as shooting starts
• 3. The Goonies sequel confirmed by director Richard Donner
• 4. After Gremlins and The Goonies, what other 80s films need a remake?
• 5. 2 States and screen kisses: 'Bollywood is cranking it up a notch'
• More most viewed
• 2. Quiz: Can you match each of these Bond villains with their own evil plot?
• 3. Russian cinemas fined for showing The Wolf of Wall Street
• 4. 2 States and screen kisses: 'Bollywood is cranking it up a notch'
• 5. After Gremlins and The Goonies, what other 80s films need a remake?
• All today's stories

Film search

Latest reviews.

Noah review – 'a preposterous but endearingly unhinged epic'

Russell Crowe wrestles angels and demons in Darren Aronofsky's $125m mashup of the ancient story of Noah, writes Mark Kermode

Honour review – Shan Khan's 'conflicted' first feature

The Double review – Richard Ayoade's dark doppelganger drama

Divergent review – lacks lustre and grit

A Story of Children and Film review – Mark Cousins's 'spine-tingling' visual essay

Sponsored feature

• Across the site
• Film reviews
• Film trailers
• Video interviews
• License/buy our content
• Terms & conditions
• Accessibility
• Inside the Guardian blog
• Work for us
• Join our dating site today
• © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Travelers and Magicians (2003)

Directed by khyentse norbu.

• AllMovie Rating 6
• User Ratings ( 0 )
• Your Rating
• Overview ↓
• User Reviews ↓
• Cast & Crew ↓
• Related ↓

Description by Wikipedia

Travellers & Magicians is a 2003 Bhutanese Dzongkha language film written and directed by Khyentse Norbu, a reincarnate lama of Tibetan Buddhism, who is also known as Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. The movie is the first feature film shot entirely in the Kingdom of Bhutan. The majority of the cast are not professional actors; Dendup, a well-known Bhutanese radio actor and producer, is the exception. This movie is among the first to take a Himalayan Buddhist perspective.

Official Site

Related movies.

Alternate Titles

Watch Travellers and Magicians

• 1 hr 48 min

"Travellers and Magicians" is a thought-provoking tale of self-discovery and the age-old philosophical adage of 'the grass is always greener on the other side'. The movie is a heartwarming piece of art that takes place in Bhutan, a remote and yet picturesque country located in the eastern Himalayas. The film takes the viewer on a surreal journey of culture, traditions, and the stark contrast between urban and rural ways of life.

The story of "Travellers and Magicians" is set in motion when Dondup, a young and ambitious government official, decides to leave his small Bhutanese village for the capital, hoping to find a better life there. Dondup is portrayed as a persistent and aspiring man, who believes that going to the U.S. or a big city is the key to success; he, however, faces an obstacle when he misses his bus to the capital, which forces him to hitchhike.

On his unexpected journey, Dondup meets a diverse group of people, including an old apple trader, a monk, a musician, and a few fellow hitchhikers. Each person has a story to tell and aspects of life to share with Dondup – all transforming his perspective on life. One such person, a tobacco-chewing monk, shares a philosophical story of a young farmer named Tashi who is mesmerized by the idea of going to America.

In "Travellers and Magicians," the stories interweave, and Dondup and Tashi's plotlines begin to converge. Tashi is a restless youth who dreams of going to America; however, unlike Dondup, Tashi lives in a remote village – removed from the urban realities of Dondup's life. The story’s second act dismantles the dichotomy between modern and traditional living by blending them seamlessly. The pleasure of the plot is underlined by a musical score that blends the sounds of the East and the West.

Throughout the film, several elements are central to the plot. These include the concept of fate, the gift of storytelling, the humorous portrayal of the bureaucracy in the country, and the exceptional Bhutanese landscape. The characters are brilliantly crafted and authentic, showcasing the unique lifestyle and traditions of the people of Bhutan. The harmonious use of the local language, which is both lyrical and intimate, is perhaps one of the film’s standout features.

As Dondup's and Tashi's paths meet, the story unfolds into an imaginative vision of the classic hero's quest, following their attempts to overcome various obstacles and learn life's most valuable lessons. The film's stunning and well-captured mountain landscape characterizes the quintessence of Bhutan, showcasing the distinct rural life in the most engaging way.

In conclusion, "Travellers and Magicians" is an engrossing and entertaining film that explores universal themes of love, identity, and the complexities of modernization. It is a movie that allows the viewer to reflect on one's own life's journey and how we often take the most incredible things in life for granted. The beauty of Bhutan is impeccably captured, and the splendid performances of the cast make the movie a captivating and spiritual journey that will be sure to leave an enduring impact.

Travellers and Magicians is a 2003 adventure movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes.

• Genres Adventure Drama Indie Foreign
• Cast Neten Chokling Tshewang Dendup Lhakpa Dorji Sonam Kinga Sonam Lhamo Deki Yangzom
• Director Khyentse Norbu
• Release Date 2003
• Runtime 1 hr 48 min
• Language English

• Rent or buy
• Categories Categories
• Getting Started

Travellers and Magicians

Other formats.

64 global ratings

How are ratings calculated? Toggle Expand Toggle Expand

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

Travellers and Magicians (2004)

Stream & Watch Travellers and Magicians

Cast & Crew

Movie details, similar movies.

Movie Reviews

Follow Moviefone

Latest trailers.

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

• Start a new list…
• Add all films to a list…
• Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Where to watch

Travellers and magicians, ཆང་ཧུབ་ཐེངས་གཅིག་གི་འཁྲུལ་སྣང.

Directed by Khyentse Norbu

The bitter and the sweet of temporary things.

A young government official, named Dondup, who is smitten with America (he even has a denim gho) dreams of escaping there while stuck in a beautiful but isolated village. He hopes to connect in the U.S. with a visa out of the country. He misses the one bus out of town to Thimphu, however, and is forced to hitchhike and walk along the Lateral Road to the west, accompanied by an apple seller, a Buddhist monk with his ornate, dragon-headed dramyin, a drunk, a widowed rice paper maker, and his beautiful daughter, Sonam.

Tshewang Dendup Sonam Lhamo Dasho Adab Sangye Ap Dochu Sonam Kinga Dechen Dorjee Lhakpa Dorji Deki Yangzom Gomchen Penjore Namgay Dorjee Tshering Dorji Jigme Drukpa Neten Chokling Ugyen Wangchuk

Director Director

Khyentse Norbu

Producers Producers

Raymond Steiner Malcolm Watson

Writer Writer

Editors editors.

John Scott Lisa-Anne Morris Andrew McCormick

Cinematography Cinematography

Alan Kozlowski

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Jeremy Thomas

Production Design Production Design

Raymond Steiner

Art Direction Art Direction

Ugyen Wangchuk

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Tim Crosbie

Composers Composers

Jigme Drukpa Dechen Dorjee Donam Dorji Bon Funk

Sound Sound

Andrew Plain Adrian Medhurst John Simpson Robert Sullivan Andrew Belletty Nada Mikaš Lidia Tamplenizza

Costume Design Costume Design

Claudia Bahls

Makeup Makeup

Prayer Flag Pictures HanWay Films

Releases by Date

09 sep 2003, 31 dec 2004, releases by country.

• Theatrical PG

108 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by munta ★★★★★ 3

Review by VonBergundy ★★★½ 6

Quest for the Green Map - Bhutan

I really enjoyed Bhutan's first film shot entirely within Bhutan. It reminds me of Taika Waititi's work in how it feels wholesome without sugarcoating reality.

The primary story is of a young man named Dondup, who misses his bus which was meant to take him to his dreamland. His journey of meeting other travellers looking for rides to the same place for different reasons is lightly spiritual and existential. A combination of the people he meets and his shaky grip once the opportunity to move on to greener pastures is in his grasp make him question whether what's out there is better than what's in front of him. I really. liked all of…

Review by Jay D 's Watching ★★★½

A gentle, very deadpan comedy about the belief that the grass is always greener, and the way choices are informed by desires-it doubles as sort of a cautionary tale about how easy it is to trick the Thirsty traveller. The back of the DVD case states that this is the 'first feature film shot in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan', and while I'm not sure whether or not that's true, it does feel a bit like a gentle travelogue, although that might be the outsiders' temptation to overlook the religious depths at play here (the director, Khyentse Norbu, is a Tibetan/Bhutanese Lama, and the film's protagonist, who wants to go to America, shares the same last name as him. Anyhow, I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you get the chance, and you enjoy films of the 'waiting for the bus' variety.

Review by SinfulDwarf ★★★★

I have revisited 'Travellers and Magicians' 3 times and I'm probably due for another re-watch. This film is awesomely meditative and the equivalent of visual comfort food, as completely hokey as that sounds. Set and filmed in the stunning landscape of Bhutan, the story is a contemplative fable that follows two men on a journey of self discovery. Again, sounds flakey, but to the eye-rollers out there, it's not. 'Travellers and Magicians' is an example of how film has the capacity to transport you far away from your own personal reality. Unless of course you already live in Bhutan and then this shit is just the same old same old. "Mountains, monks, the spiritual essence of life... yeah, yeah, yeah." This movie should never end, and inside my own private neck potato, it never does.

Review by DungeonSkramz ★★★★★

"What we hoped for yesterday, we dread today."

When you realize the grass is not always greener on the other side and learn to appreciate what's around you. Two stories, told parallel to each other, express this sentiment through a meditative journey of self-discovery. Hope brings pain, dreams never last, so stay awake and live for the moments you're given.

Review by PleinSoleil ★★★

March Around the World: Bhutan

What we hoped for yesterday, we dread today.

Travelers and Magicians is a lovely piece of wholesome tranquility on film. Khyentse Norbu wonderfully translates Buddhist folklore into a relentlessly likable narrative filmed in the beautiful Bhutanese countryside. The film feels authentically remote and many scenes look like they were incredibly hard to film in, which just adds to my appreciation of the production. There's an outstanding score that will put you in a meditative trance-like state. Not to mention the fantastic original songs that appear briefly. They're total bangers, Norbu must have discovered the Bhutanese Alanis Morissette.

The film has a parallel-story structure, the story of a young officer wanting to leave his boring town…

Review by Kai White ★★★½ 2

”What we hoped for yesterday, we dread today.”

Dondup (Tshewang Dendup) is a government official in rural Bhutan. But he harbors dreams of going to America where he can make more money than he’ll ever make here. So he lies to his superior and heads off on a trek to a nearby city as the start of his journey. Or, he would, if reliable transportation were available out in this beautiful countryside. Instead, Dondup gets stuck on the side of the road waiting for any car that can take him where he needs to get, and he needs to get there fast, lest he miss his chance at making the life he wants for himself.

While he waits, other people…

Review by Chogan ★★★½

This is a very somber and soft movie, one that lets you just ruminate with it. The serene cinematography and nice, slow pace make this feel comforting in a way. This movie is also funny, it has this vulnerable and casual humor to it that's very likeable. I could see this becoming a favorite on a rewatch but for now I think this is mostly just a nice watch, nothing too demanding that'll make you think some.

Films I watch for school Ranked

Review by Dromagnoli ★★★½

Watched for my film class, decent film with a interesting journey to it and good characters.

Review by RAED ★★★★

نحن بشر يمكن ان نكون متوحشين عندما تدفعنا العاطفه ..

Review by Peter H

Sweet and quiet. I loved the director's book What Makes you Not a Buddhist , and I was surprised that this wasn't explicitly didactic. This story exists for its own sake. Still, the message is clear, and touching.

I loved the depictions of Bhutan. It doesn't look like some backwards place that time forgot, it looks like a country that deliberately chooses what parts of modernism to engage with.

Review by TajLV ★★★½

________________________________________________________________

Film #25 of 30 in my March Around The World | 2018 Challenge (Bhutan) ________________________________________________________________

Once in a great while, a reincarnate lama of Tibetan Buddhism decides to make a film. In this case, it is Bhutan's reincarnation of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, aka writer-director Khyentse Norbu. As the very first feature film shot entirely in the Kingdom of Bhutan, this picture went on to win the Audience Award at the Deauville Asian Film Festival as well as the Emerging Director Award for Norbu at the Asian American International Film Festival.

The film opens in the town of Khumbar, where an archery contest is being held. A young government official called Dondup (Tshewang Dendup) oversleeps and shows up late…

Similar Films

Select your preferred poster

I've traveled on all 5 Disney cruise ships. I have 2 clear favorites, and there's only one I'm not in a hurry to book again.

• My family and I have been on nine Disney cruises and all five ships.
• We love the fleet's two smallest ships, Disney Wonder and Disney Magic.
• Although we had a great experience on board Disney Wish , it was my least favorite ship to travel on.

I've been on nine Disney cruises with my husband and two teenage sons. We've sailed on other cruise lines including Carnival, Celebrity, MSC, and Royal Caribbean , but Disney Cruise Line is always our top pick.

Stellar service, subtle theming, top-notch kids' and teen programs, and a dreamy private island in the Bahamas are some of the reasons we keep returning.

So far, we've been on all five Disney Cruise Line ships — Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish. We'll soon have more ships to explore, with Disney Treasure planning to set sail in December and Disney Destiny set to embark on its maiden voyage in 2025 .

Out of the five ships we've been on, two stand out as favorites, and there's only one I'm not in a hurry to travel on again.

My favorite ships are Disney Wonder and Disney Magic

Disney Wonder and Disney Magic are my favorite ships in the Disney Cruise Line.

They have nearly identical deck layouts and are the fleet's two smallest ships. Some may see this as a negative, but I prefer the smaller, more intimate size and the ease of getting around the ships.

Disney Wonder also has my favorite Disney Cruise Line restaurant, Tiana's Place. It offers a delicious, Cajun-inspired menu and a fun "The Princess and the Frog" theme. There's even a lively floor show with jazz music.

Related stories

I love Disney Magic , too, but I thought it was more dated and in need of an update than Disney Wonder.

I also didn't love the Magic's Rapunzel-themed restaurant nearly as much as I love Tiana's Place.

The food at Rapunzel's Royal Table was just so-so, but the entertainment and theming more than made up for it. The in-person appearance of Rapunzel and Flynn, capped by a lantern processional to the tune of "I See the Light," was glorious.

Although Disney Wish was great, it was my least favorite ship to travel on

Although I had a great experience on board Disney Wish, it was my least favorite ship to travel on.

The Wish is unarguably beautiful — everything is sparkling new, and the atrium is decked out with a life-size Cinderella sculpture — but I thought the layout was a little clunky.

I may have felt this way because many of Disney's ships are laid out very similarly, and after nine cruises, we're pros at finding our way around.

Disney Wonder and Disney Magic have nearly identical deck layouts, as do Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Disney Wish, however, is laid out much differently.

Unlike the other Disney cruise ships we've been on, Disney Wish doesn't have a specific area for adults-only lounges.

Instead, the adults-only bars and lounges, which are off-limits to kids after 7 p.m., are scattered throughout the ship. This means the Wish doesn't have that true kid-free haven that the other ships have.

I also found that many parts of the ship, from the dining rooms to the pools, felt crowded

For all that criticism, my family and I enjoyed sailing on Disney Wish . But now that we've crossed it off our list, we won't be in any hurry to jump on board again unless the route is one we can't pass up.

Correction: June 7, 2024 — An earlier version of this story mislabeled a photo of Disney Wish as Disney Wonder.

Watch: Shipwreck detective rates 11 wreck scenes in movies and television

• Main content

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Book Reviews

'forgotten on sunday' evokes the heartwarming whimsy of the movie 'amélie'.

Heller McAlpin

Europa Editions hide caption

Valérie Perrin's novels have been enormously popular in her native France, and it's no wonder. Forgotten on Sunday, her third to be translated into English, evokes something of the heartwarming whimsy of the 2001 movie, Amélie, which gets a shout-out in the book.

A recurrent theme in Perrin's novels is the life-changing magic of friendships across generations. Her latest is narrated by a charming misfit, a 21-year-old nurse's assistant at a retirement home in her tiny village. Justine Neige is so interested in her patients' lives that she often stays after her shift to hold their hands and talk to them. She announces on the second page: "I love two things in life: music and the elderly."

Like Violette Toussaint, the caretaker of a cemetery in Perrin's Fresh Water for Flowers, Justine has an unusual gift for empathy that enables her to elicit confidences from the people she encounters in her work. Despite the sadness of some of the stories, including their own, both of Perrin's idiosyncratic heroines remain obstinate optimists and romantics.

Justine has a favorite patient, 96-year-old Hélène Hel, a retired seamstress and bistro owner whose life story she records in a blue notebook. It's a love story disrupted by the German occupation of France, deportation to Buchenwald, and years lost to amnesia -- all frequent subjects in French literature. Unusually, dyslexia and Braille play into it. So do blue eyes. A seagull is asked to carry more symbolic weight than in Chekhov. (Don't ask.)

As Justine pieces together Hélène's tragic history, relayed "in jigsaw-puzzle form," she also strives to locate the missing pieces regarding the tragedy that changed her life: the death of her parents in a car accident on the way to a baptism when she was four. Also killed in the 1996 crash were her uncle and aunt -- her father's identical twin brother and his beautiful Swedish wife -- who left behind 2-year-old Jules. The two orphaned cousins were raised by their grim grandparents, who refuse to discuss the crash. "It can't be said that they're nasty to us, merely absent," Justine comments. We eventually learn why.

Justine, seemingly without ambition or wanderlust, went straight from high school to her ill-paid job at The Hydrangeas. Jules, on the other hand, plans to hightail it to Paris to study architecture the minute he finishes his baccalaureate. "For Jules, succeeding in life means leaving Milly," Justine observes. (It also meant cutting off his Swedish maternal grandparents when he was ten, after "they made insinuations" about his parentage.) He cannot understand Justine's devotion to her job or to their dying little village. "Jules tells me I'm too naively sentimental, that I think like a novel," she writes. Of course he's right, but of course that's Justine's charm.

Forgotten on Sunday is comfortably translated by Hildegarde Serle, though I wish she had left some of the original French for color, such as crèpes instead of pancakes and toilette instead of the ungainly ablutions. The title refers to the nursing home inhabitants who are unvisited -- or forgotten -- even on Sundays. In French, it's Les Oubliés du Dimanche, with the definite article: the forgotten. Most of these neglected elders, Justine notes pointedly, "have only sons." (A better word order: "only have sons" -- meaning no daughters, who, she observes, are far more attentive to their parents.)

This intricately plotted novel features more twisted strands than a French braid, with several flyaway mysteries that Perrin ultimately tames. Primary among them: Who has been calling the families of forgotten patients on Saturday nights and telling them their loved ones have died, forcing them to show up to a big surprise (and the delight of their elders) on Sunday morning? Despite being "like an Agatha Christie with no dead body," the case triggers a police investigation by the same lazy, unpleasant detective who, it turns out, investigated Justine's parents' accident.

Another question that keeps readers turning pages: Who's the thoughtful, unbelievably forbearing guy Justine sometimes spends the night with after dancing at the Paradise Club -- a guy whose calls she never bothers to return and whose name she never bothers to learn?

Forgotten on Sunday is a pain au chocolat of a book -- flaky but buttery, with a sweet center. This sentimental soul-soother is further sweetened by the knowledge that several of the characters are named, at least in part, after Perrin's grandparents, including Helene Hel's lost-and-found great love, Lucien Perrin.

site categories

M. night shyamalan’s daughters discuss “privilege” of following their own passions amid big screen debuts with dad, aafca honors ‘fellow travelers’ & ‘little richard: i am everything’ during pride month.

By Valerie Complex

Valerie Complex

Associate Editor/Film Writer

More Stories By Valerie

• ‘The Wasp’ Review: A Taut Drama Of Revenge And Childhood Scars – Tribeca Festival
• ‘Sacramento’ Review: A Charming Exploration Of Anxiety, Friendship, And Fatherhood – Tribeca Festival
• ‘Brats’ Review: Andrew McCarthy Reexamines The Brat Pack Legacy – Tribeca Festival

The African American Film Critics Association and Better Brothers LA are set to celebrate Pride Month with their annual luncheon on June 1, which focuses on films and TV series that enhance visibility for LGBTQ communities.

This year, AAFCA will honor the outstanding Paramount+/Showtime limited series Fellow Travelers for its depiction of gay life and its inclusion of Black LGBTQ characters and storylines. Widely acclaimed as one of the best shows of the past TV season, Fellow Travelers will receive AAFCA’s Social Impact Award.

Related Stories

From His Oscar-Nominated ‘Philadelphia’ Screenplay To His Memoir & Acclaimed Series ‘Fellow Travelers’, Ron Nyswaner Has A Lot To Say – Behind The Lens

‘Fellow Travelers’ Sex Scenes Were Integral To ’50s-Set Story, Stars Matt Bomer & Jonathan Bailey Say — Contenders TV

Based on the bestselling novel by Thomas Mallon, Fellow Travelers follows the lives of its two principal characters, Timothy Laughlin and Hawkins Fuller (played by Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey), as they navigate the social and political implications of their relationship. The series includes Alladin as Marcus Gaines and Ricketts as Frankie Hines, offering a rare portrayal of Black LGBTQ characters throughout the narrative.

“ Fellow Travelers can’t be applauded enough for showcasing the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly those who identify as Black,” says Better Brothers LA co-founder Scott Hamilton. “Jelani and Noah beautifully humanized their characters, helping the audience understand the struggles of being both Black and queer, as well as the dynamics of gender identity within the community. Fellow Travelers is a reminder that queer individuals have been making an impact for a long time.”

RELATED: ‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’: Oscar-Contending Doc On Architect Of Rock ‘N’ Roll Who Struggled To Unify Queer, Religious Identities

Must Read Stories

Legendary reporter remembered at memorial: “he had no peer”.

‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ Coming To End? Original Cast Member Exits Ahead Of Season 5

Wakes up summer with $105m ww bow, kristen stewart to play astronaut sally ride as amazon mgm nears limited series deal.

Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.

Read More About:

No comments.

Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

‘Bridgerton’ Star Nicola Coughlan, ‘Ted Lasso’ Actor Nonso Anozie and ‘Baby Reindeer’s’ Jessica Gunning Join ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ Cast

By Naman Ramachandran

Naman Ramachandran

• Amitabh Bachchan Plays God Cameo in Sequel ‘Fakt Purusho Maate’: ‘His Enduring Stardom Is a Phenomenon’ (EXCLUSIVE) 1 day ago
• Indian Animation Set for Annecy Splash 2 days ago
• Women in Animation Unveils 2024 International Diversity Initiative Teams 2 days ago

Nicola Coughlan , Nonso Anozie and Jessica Gunning have joined the cast of the upcoming adaptation of Enid Blyton ‘s “The Magic Faraway Tree.”

Coughlan (“Bridgerton”) will portray the woodland fairy Silky, joined by Anozie (“Ted Lasso”) as Moonface. Gunning (“Baby Reindeer”) takes on the role of Dame Washalot, with Dustin Demri-Burns (“Slow Horses”) as Saucepan Man. Mark Heap (“Friday Night Dinner”) will play Mr. Oom Boom Boom, and Oliver Chris (“Trying”) Mr. Watzisname.

Related Stories

Live music blues: are black keys, jennifer lopez just the beginning, oscar winner youn yuh-jung reflects on korean cinema's early days in academy retrospective, popular on variety.

Adapted by BAFTA winner Simon Farnaby (“Wonka”), the film will be directed by Ben Gregor (“Britannia”). Production will commence later this month across the U.K.

The film is produced by Oscar nominee Pippa Harris (“1917”) and Nicolas Brown (“Britannia”) of Neal Street Productions, along with Danny Perkins (“Greatest Days”) of Elysian Film Group and Jane Hooks (“Golda”). Executive producers include Ashland Hill Media Finance’s Simon Williams, Joe Simpson and Jonathan Bross and Palisades Park Pictures’ Tamara Birkemoe. Ashland Hill Media Finance is fully financing. Palisades Park Pictures is handling worldwide sales, with CAA Media Finance co-repping U.S. rights.

Blyton’s books remain actively in print and have been translated into over 35 languages, selling over 500 million copies worldwide, making her the most translated children’s author in the world. In the U.K. alone, over 3.5 million copies of her books are sold annually. “The Faraway Tree” series remains one of her most popular, having sold over 30 million copies to date and continuing to sell over half a million copies each year.

Joe Simpson, Ashland Hill Media Finance managing partner, added, “This dynamic and talented cast are perfect to breathe life into the characters from Enid Blyton’s unfading and enduring classic children’s tale. I have no doubt they will fill the screen with wonder and magic in this elevated, high-concept family adventure.”

More from Variety

Why didn’t ‘girls5eva’ hit on netflix as it should have here’s my unfortunate theory, playstation state of play underscores muted release year ahead of summer game fest, how the documentary boom has been a boon for music storytelling, john leguizamo turned down ‘mr. & mrs smith’ because jolie and pitt were ‘getting $20 million and they were going to pay me scale. i felt dissed’; he regrets it now, emmy voters, don’t forget the worthy shows that were canceled way too soon, like hbo’s ‘winning time’, more from our brands, israel defense forces spokesman grilled on palestinian civilian deaths during hostage rescue, wagyu steak, candy rooms and private clubs: inside the hidden world of vip perks at nba arenas, with ohtani and world cup cricket, new york has asia’s attention, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, michael mosley, british tv presenter, dead at 67 — had been missing for days, verify it's you, please log in.