Shenpenn Khymsar’s

Four Rivers Six Ranges immerses the audience into its world of revolutionaries in Tibet from the first scene to the very last. The film follows a group of rebels fighting against China's oppressive occupation of Tibet. The People's Liberation Army is destroying Tibet right down to its monasteries, forcing the rebels to act before their great country fades into a distant memory. An adaptation of Dorjee Wangdi Dewatshang’s book Flight at the Cuckoo's Behest, the film opens with a tracking shot of Chinese military plundering a village before two Tibetan resistance fighters launch a retaliatory strike. It is a breathtaking sequence that places the audience right in the thick of the action, making them feel the raw velocity of violence in Tibet vicariously. Soon, they join Chushi Gangdruk leader Gonpo Tashi (Tenzin Jigmey) and the rest of the freedom fighters to plan an assault on the Chinese militia.

Director: Shenpenn Khymsar

Cast: Tenzin Jigmey, Tashi Kalden, Robert Lin, Tenzin Dhondup, Thupten Chukatsang and Rigzin Phurpatsang

Four Rivers Six Ranges follows a straightforward narrative, offering few dramatic twists to heighten the tension in the story. The film ends on an open note, with the makers teasing a second part to it. There are also terrific sequences that offer interesting insights into the psyche of the characters, even if these leave the broader story incomplete. For example, a moment that shows General Tan's (Robert Lin) interrogation of a Tibetan family at their home achieves nail-biting tension with subtle restraint. This is mainly thanks to how Tan covers his simmering anger under a peaceful facade. When Tan casually lights a cigarette with a sacred Tibetan lamp, he shows a quiet, menacing disrespect that defines the general's ruthless nature and his simmering hatred for Tibetans. The moment is instantly reminiscent of the opening scene from Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds that features Christoph Waltz. The film does not quite show the full extent of General Tan's brutality; instead it hints at the animal lying dormant within him. What kind of a man kills someone right after promising him freedom and listens to soft, melodious music at the end of the day? Only Brahms and Beethoven-loving Nazis come to mind. Underneath his callous brutality lies a man with refined taste in arts.

While Khymsar fails to build on the promise of Tan's arc, the director also leaves just enough footage involving the general to make us curious about what he will do in the future instalments of the story. Perhaps the best way to enjoy Four Rivers Six Ranges is to look at it merely as an origin story.

The film does a good job of showing the formation and growth of the resistance movement and the personal sacrifices these people make to keep their country safe from the Liberation Army. It feels refreshing when the rebels tell each other to visit their families once in a while and ensure their safety for themselves, especially at a time when war films tend to become gung-ho and even jingoistic. As with any good film about a raging war, Four Rivers Six Ranges understands that there is an equally compelling human side to the larger struggle for freedom. The sequences involving the Dalai Lama (Tashi Kalden) offer fascinating insights into the man behind 'His Holiness,' even if his journey to India feels like a predictable march towards the inevitable. With a sharper dramatic edge, Four Rivers Six Ranges could have been a knockout film rather than merely an engaging one in terms of storytelling.

The multiple angles in the story create a sprawling narrative that occasionally lacks focus, stripping the film of its emotional intimacy. The film does not evoke a sense of time passing as it often hops between locations and timelines. These issues are likely the byproduct of budget and/or logistical constraints.

However, the film never feels less urgent thanks to the immersion that Khymsar achieves with the visuals and the monastic music, as well as the pitch perfect Hindi dubbing. It is remarkable that Khymsar is the all-rounder behind the camera, from direction to action choreography and music composition, and a core part of the production team. It is extraordinary that the cast mostly includes newcomers. Most of the portrayals feel quite raw, lived-in, and internalised rather than stagey or performative. The actors’ fierce emotional outbursts feel rooted in years of lived oppression. What is even more remarkable is the amount of time Khymsar took to shoot the film: 19 days. With more time, he might just have made his masterpiece, to quote Brad Pitt from Inglourious Basterds. As it stands, Four Rivers Six Ranges is a commendable effort that guides audiences through a tragic chapter of human history.