Though the Bhutanese film Hema Hema contains very little dialogue and disguised characters, it’s an engrossing work of cinema with dazzling visuals and a narrative thrust. It’s also a deep meditation on concepts of Buddhism, especially the notion of rebirth and personal identity. After nearly a decade, the thriller/drama is finally receiving a theatrical release in the United States, and it’s certainly worth seeing this feature on the big screen.
Written and directed by Khyentse Norbu, a Tibetan Buddhist Lama born in Bhutan, the film stars Tshering Dorji as Expressionless. Armed with only a whistle and his blank white mask, hence his name, he joins a group of other masked Buddhists that meets every twelve years in the woods to essentially shed their identities. The group is led by Agay (Tenzin Dolma), an old guru who’s about the only character without disguise. He doles out wisdom throughout the film, such as anonymity is power, a mantra and concept that repeats throughout the film. It also ties into the Buddhist concept of rebirth, and in an age of social media fixation and presented identities, this film feels incredibly relevant. With their masks, the rag-tag group reaches a level of freedom and revelry that they wouldn’t have obtained otherwise. It’s liberating for them.
Initially, Expressionless stumbles like a newborn through the forest, but as the film goes on and as he sheds more and more of his former identity, he becomes more confident, inching closer to the very idea of rebirth that Agay frequently speaks of. However, he’s tempted by a woman named Red Wrathful (Sadon Lhamo). Expressionless has to fight his very base and very human urges to stay on the path that led him to the woods in the first place. It’s not easy, though. What transpires between the two characters builds to quite a shocking last act. The two risk breaking the group’s code by even knowing each other’s genders.
It can’t be understated just how visually engrossing this movie is, from the masks themselves to the dancing, to the shots of the natural world. This is, by far, one of the most beautiful films that I’ve seen this year. Again, it really deserves to be seen in a movie theater. It’s an absolutely gorgeous work of filmmaking. It’s also bolstered by Lhamo and Dorji’s performances. They manage to convey so much emotion without even speaking, thanks, in large part, to their body language and also some of Lhamo’s dancing. The visuals convey a fairytale-like quality to the film, which is fitting since Hema Hema means “Once upon a time” in native Dzongkha language. Once Expressionless steps into the woods and encounters the others, we’re transported into a totally different world.
Hema Hema is an absolutely stunning work of filmmaking, with a haunting final act. The movie, in great depth, explores concepts of identity, anonymity, and rebirth. If you can see this movie on a big screen, make sure to do so. You’ll be transported into a world of wonderment with philosophical underpinnings.
