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High in the desolate, windswept mountains of Tibet lives a shepherd named Tharlo. He tends his sheep and rides his motorcycle, passing his days in familiar and traditional routines far from the city lights. But when Tharlo travels to the city for an ID card photo and meets Yangtso, a modern young hairdresser, his monastic life will forever change.

Leading Tibetan auteur Pema Tseden (The Search, Old Dog) first wrote Tharlo's story as a novella that audiences can read here in English for the first time, published as part of this DVD. In adapting his spare and poignant short story for the screen, Tseden is at the height of his directorial powers, using just 84 meticulously composed shots to channel Tharlo's world into gorgeous vistas of black-and-white.

Popular actor Shide Nyima makes his dramatic debut with a defining performance as the title character, a role that Tseden wrote with him in mind; he is beautifully matched by Yangshik Tso as the object of Tharlo's uneasy desire. An award-winning, film festival and critical favorite, Tharlo brings its characters and their world to edgy, explosive life.

"Issues of identity, clashes of culture and the nitty-gritty of sheep-herding are the themes which drive Tibetan director Pema Tseden's beguiling fable THARLO ... This is a beautifully judged picture from a director to note."—ScreenDaily