In The Monk and the Gun, the establishment of one of the youngest democracies in the world is told in satirically amusing and biting ways.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 3, 2024

The film hums with a charming, grassroots authenticity ... , interweaving a hilarious crime caper with homespun realism that elevates the material far above its occasionally rough technical merits.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 25, 2024

Dorji’s perspective is bracing, and his film a serene experience.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 18, 2024

A political satire with a deep meaning, but the spiritual message behind the story sneaks up on you, or rather, you understand and embrace it gradually, just the way the Bhutanese do the electoral process.

| Aug 9, 2024

The actors' performances, who gracefully convey the confusion and doubt of the characters, play in favor of the text. What is missing, however, is a little causticity. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 8, 2024

A lesson in Buddhist Democracy. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 2, 2024

Many of the parallel storylines create suspense over the question of just how damaging one or another change will be for the community. The scriptwriter deftly gathers these threads together...

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 18, 2024

Visually enticing.

| Original Score: B | Jul 18, 2024

excels as a reflection of change and the way manufactured ideologies prop up systems of governance.

| Jul 4, 2024

Genius - a compelling, exciting story, the opportunity to experience life in a far distant country with a vastly different culture than our own, and the mischief fate concocts, and its keen sense of wonder and humour.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Feb 23, 2024

A different kind of political comedy about the perils of democracy, from the high-altitude perspective of Bhutan.

| Original Score: A- | Feb 22, 2024

This pleasing, leisurely parable set against spectacular scenic backdrops wears its cleverness lightly, so that you're a little taken aback by the ingeniousness of the resolution.

| Feb 16, 2024

Leisurely and humane, the film is filled with wry observations and gentle satire about how the move to democracy...will inevitably change Bhutan, as well as the difficulty Westerners have in understanding the Bhutanese mentality.

| Original Score: B | Feb 15, 2024

Very funny indeed. It has some thoughts about democracy, and some thoughts about American democracy.

| Feb 13, 2024

It's a charming movie and it wears its ethnography lightly.

| Feb 13, 2024

Gently satirizes the difficulties and downsides of bringing in foreign influences to a country that calculates a Gross National Happiness index.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 13, 2024

A wistful breeze of goodwill from the foothills of the Himalayas, The Monk and the Gun unfolds like a pink and pretty rhododendron, offering a slyly gentle cautionary tale of democracy’s fragile nature.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 11, 2024

The Monk and the Gun is a true crowd-pleaser, a poignant message wrapped up in a humorous and vibrant tale.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Feb 11, 2024

A fascinating fable that explores the meaning of identity, freedom, and happiness. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 10, 2024

Dorji’s thoughtful approach will fire up audience applause.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 10, 2024