The Son of a Herder

The Son of a Herder

2014. China. Directed by Tashi Chopel. A herder’s son, Gonpo Tseden, has just completed training at a vocational school and is eager to reorient his ideals and ambitions beyond pastoral life. But reality presents him with a challenge and burdensome responsibility—horse racing, nomadic migration, and an illness in the family all compel him to follow the traditional role and values of a herdsman. This film, gorgeously shot in eastern Tibet’s Zehok region, shows us an unembellished portrait of the life of a plateau herder, an existence caught between ideals and reality, modernity and tradition, and individual choices. In Tibetan; English subtitles. 64 min.