Seto Surya

During the People's War in Nepal, art and entertainment field took quite a toll. Nepali films from the past decade were marred by ripped off story-lines from B grade Indian films, dialogues were corny, and filmmakers made films just to make their hands and mouth meet.

The country is still torn apart by the war, but with films like "White Sun", attempts to heal the country with art and entertainment has been evidently apparent. The film shows a post-war scenario and tells the story of an ex-combatant trying to make his ends meet as the country is declared Republic.

Per se, actor Daya Hang Rai has portrayed that ex-combatant's character to an optimum best. From his personal dilemma to his familial and societal convulsions, each personification has been aptly enacted. Actor Rabindra Singh Baniya has aided Rai as a counter-hero, offering the role of an antagonist without obviously doing so. The children from this film deserve a bow - without them, this film would have been a linear story. Their story and dynamism has angled the film into two dimensions.

Director Deepak Rauniyar has been able to connect the three eras of Nepali political scene: the pre-war Monarchy, the war-torn people, and the country getting prepared for a Republic State. Bringing these three elements together was already a challenge, but Rauniyar has excelled to justify 'artistic' style of film making, all the while, making it entertaining to watch also.

What worked: This movie has to be undoubtedly one of the best movies to come from Nepal in the last two decades. I have been a fan of Deepak from his starting phase in his filmmaking. I remember watching Pooja in Nepal international film festival and was blown away by the movie. This one shows his level of growth as a filmmaker, making it a very powerful and enjoyable watch. What stunned me is the right balance of all elements that make a great movie. It's a very beautifully written and executed piece of art. His strong aspect is the use of dialogues that are more humane and natural than most of his contemporaries in the Nepali movie industry.Cinematography is great and what adds to the authenticity is the simplicity and the natural acting by the supporting casts. Also, the movie is metaphorical and satirical, and depicts both the federal and revolutionary citizens of the nation with the layered meaning throughout the narrative. The use of child psychology is a very wise decision and I am hugely impressed by this.This symbolic movie cracks the Pandora box of what makes a great movie. What did not work: Probably the anti conclusive nature of the movie make it a less pessimistic rather than optimistic movie although our interpretation may symbol hope and happy ending. I would have been happier to see the movie had some positive perspective from the eye of the girl or even the boy despite the satirical and speechless scenes leading to the finale Final verdict: highly recommended, one of the few movies that can represent one of the many cultures from Nepal

Powerful movie with great performance and thought provoking storyline. The movie is realistic heartbreaking and deserves more recognization. Its almost a masterpiece.

When his father dies, anti-regime partisan Chandra must travel to his remote mountain village after nearly a decade away. Little Pooja is anxiously awaiting the man she thinks is her father, but she's confused when Chandra arrives with Badri, a young street orphan rumored to be his son. Chandra must face his brother Suraj, who was on the opposing side during the Nepali civil war. The two brothers cannot put aside political feelings while carrying their father's body down the steep mountain path to the river for cremation. Suraj storms off in a rage, leaving Chandra with no other men strong enough to help. Under pressure from the village elders, Chandra must seek help from outside the village to obey the rigid caste and discriminatory gender traditions he fought to eliminate during the war. Chandra searches for a solution in neighboring villages, among the police, guests at a local wedding, and rebel guerrillas...

Seen at the Rotterdam film festival 2017 (website: iffr.com/en). It was a well-designed story showcasing that things may seem to have changed in Nepal (e.g. a new constitution) but that old differences in caste's and political demarcation lines still exist, all of that despite peace being the new norm where everyone should live together as a new nation. Choices for or against a particular political party that someone made 10 years ago, are still held against you nowadays. This is best illustrated by the two brothers, who cannot help continuing to argue while carrying their father's body to his grave.

Nice icing on the cake is what we get to see about burying rituals as per ancient traditions. It takes a considerable part of the running time, yet it is interesting for us to watch and certainly not redundant.

A new constitution is underway. This is clearly hanging in the air throughout the story. We hear the announcement that it passed all legal procedures and now became effective near the end of the movie. Less pronounced but still a topic covered by the screenplay, is that the position of women did not change, despite everyone being considered equal under the new constitution. All such things are cleverly interwoven in the story without ever monopolizing the proceedings.

Last but not least, I cannot avoid a special mention for two children roles. They add an extra dimension to the story by asking pertinent questions at times, or just by providing assistance for Chandra, persistent in spite of being sent away several times.

Go and watch White Sun. I don't know why is is only rated 7/10 . The movie is balance of emotions and humour. Movie portays condition of villages of Nepal in humorously and I think it's a great satire. Once you start watching the movie you will be living all the experience Dayahang Rai goes through in the movie. Every dialougues will hit you hard. It is the best Nepali movie I have ever watch. And I fell lucky for not missing this movie.