Phörpa (1999)
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 93 minuten
Alternative title: The Cup
Country:
Bhutan / Australia
Directed by: Khyentse Norbu
Stars: Orgyen Tobgyal, Neten Chokling and Jamyang Lodro
IMDb score:
6,9 (3.487)
Releasedate: 29 August 1999
Phörpa plot
"Buddhism is their philosophy. Soccer is their religion."
While the 1998 FIFA World Cup is in full swing in France, two Tibetan refugees arrive at a Buddhist monastery in India. There they will be taught the Buddhist teachings, but the football fever reaches as far as India and means that studying does not go quite according to plan.
Actors and actresses
Reviews & comments
sumitta
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- 83 messages
- 1057 votes
Simple, sympathetic film. Authentic locations, monks and ceremonies, filmed and produced in the country where gross domestic happiness is more important than gross domestic product. Was impressed by the beautiful theme song, although the music is not very special beyond that. The plot and dialogues are not very strong, as is the acting that leaves something to be desired here and there. The boy's enthusiasm about the football matches, which he tries to inflame the others with, is not really reflected in the beginning of the film. When he becomes more of a leader, things will look better. There are quite a few moments in the film that manage to put a smile on your face, but Phörpa is not exactly an outspoken comedy. Perhaps to apologize for the rather earthy story and the lack of depth with regard to meditation and Buddhist concepts, the content of Buddhism is zoomed in at the end. In itself it is a pity that this substantive core (apart from the ethics) is not really intertwined in the story and the film itself, whereas that is the case with films such as Samsara and Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Gyeoul Geurigo Bom. The Buddhist monastery in Phörpa therefore serves more as a stage, the monastery as a stage where earthly matters are not taboo.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico
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- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
Very nice light-hearted film from Bhutan in which the monks impose less discipline and ora et labora on themselves as the abbot or Geko had desired. The infectiousness of the 1998 World Cup football is transferred to all members of the remote monastery.
It gets funny when the lama is explained what 'football' exactly is. He calls it a fight, without war, with a cup at stake. But also the enthusiasts are little familiar with the games and often do not know what is happening. It's always nice to have such a World Cup where cultures get to know and appreciate each other.
Smart of the abbot to see that allowing something often creates more obedience and unity than forbidding something. Very fine little film, with the heart in the right place. And it is always a bonus to immerse yourself as a viewer in life in a Buddhist monastery.
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