In a polyandrous village in Nepal, newlywed and heavily pregnant Pema tries to make the best of her life. But soon, her first husband, Tashi, vanishes on the trade route to Lhasa. As questions arise within the close-knit community about the legitimacy of her unborn child, Pema embarks on a journey into the unforgiving wilderness to find him, one that eventually turns into a personal quest of self-discovery and liberation.

In this epic and intimate Himalayan odyssey, Min Bahadur Bham foregrounds his technical mastery as he lays bare the order of Nepalese civility with breathtaking widescreen beauty. The film's firm grounding in communal and social mores allows Bham to thematically contrast the burdens of patriarchal Nepalese culture with the freedom that Buddhist spirituality offers, making a potent case for its contemplative storytelling. Cinematographer Aziz Zhambakiyev’s roving camera is a thing to behold, as is the assured vision and style that propel Bham’s sophomore outing. Enlightenment in Shambhala, which translates to ‘paradise’, is often hard-earned, but the journey is littered with meaning.

- Poulomi Das