Synopsis
The two men embark on parallel, if separate, journeys. Their yearning is a common one--for a better and different life. Dondup, delayed by the timeless pace of his village, is forced to hitchhike through the beautiful wild countryside of Bhutan to reach his goal. He shares the road with a monk, an apple seller, a papermaker and his beautiful young daughter, Sonam. Throughout the journey, the perceptive yet mischievous monk relates the story of Tashi. It is a mystical fable of lust, jealousy and murder, that holds up a mirror to the restless Dondup, and his blossoming attraction to the innocent Sonam. The cataclysmic conclusion of the monk's tale leaves Dondup with a dilemma--is the grass truly greener on the other side?
Scores
Popularity Percentile (Year)
29.7%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
44.7%
Critic Consensus
96.5% Fresh • 57 critic reviews
Critic reception is largely positive, with 96% of 57 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize thin plot, visually striking, lighthearted. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
thin plotvisually strikinglightheartedfunnyrealisticemotionalcharacter-drivenmacabre
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|
| Neten Chokling | 2005 | $94,000 | $151,000 | (est) |
| Tshewang Dendup | 2005 | $58,000 | $93,000 | (est) |
| Lhakpa Dorji | 2005 | $44,000 | $70,000 | (est) |
| Sonam Kinga | 2005 | $36,000 | $57,000 | (est) |
| Sonam Lhamo | 2005 | $30,000 | $49,000 | (est) |
| Deki Yangzom | 2005 | $27,000 | $43,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score95.0
RT critic review count60
Rotten Tomatoes audience score83.0
RT audience rating count1,000
IMDb rating7.4
IMDb votes2,390
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|
| Domestic | 2005 | $506,793 | $814,035 |
| International | 2005 | $161,846 | $259,965 |
| Worldwide | 2005 | $668,639 | $1,073,999 |
Earnings / Profitability
Estimated net revenues and net expenses for films based on reported and estimated numbers. This income statement should be considered most viable for the first 24 months after the inital movie's release (ie after most lucrative pay windows).
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|
| Revenues |
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 2005 | $318,135 | $511,003 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 2005 | $139,000 | $223,268 |
| Digital Purchases ? | 2005 | $22,000 | $35,337 |
| Physical Rentals ? | 2005 | $7,741,000 | $12,433,956 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 2005 | $18,584,000 | $29,850,489 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 2005 | $212,853 | $341,895 |
| Total Revenues | 2005 | $27,016,988 | $43,395,948 |
| Expenses |
| Budget ? | 2005 | $1,800,000 | $2,891,244 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 2005 | $535,000 (est) | $859,342 (est) |
| Participations | 2005 | $1,081,000 | $1,736,353 |
| Residuals ? | 2005 | $1,956,000 | $3,141,819 |
| Interest & Overhead | 2005 | $360,000 | $578,249 |
| Total Expenses | 2005 | $5,732,000 | $9,207,006 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 2005 | $21,284,988 | $34,188,942 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|
 | Godzilla Minus One | 2023 | Shared genres: 3 | 92.1 | $39,348,232 |
 | Baahubali 2: The Conclusion | 2017 | Shared genres: 3 | 89.8 | $107,796,520 |
 | Hero | 2004 | Shared genres: 3 | 89.6 | $72,712,729 |
 | House of Flying Daggers | 2004 | Shared genres: 3 | 85.5 | $49,969,610 |
 | Ne Zha 2 | 2025 | Shared genres: 3 | 84.6 | $41,681,250 |
Tooltips
- Digital Rentals: PVOD, VOD, & On-Demand
- Marketing & distribution costs to release Movie in Theaters. Includes: Online & Offline Ads, Posters, Trailer Production, and physical or digital copies (formerly "prints") sent to cinemas.
- Net Digital Purchase Revenue
- Net Revenues for Physical Rentals: VHS, DVD, BluRay (when appropriate)
- Physical Purchases: VHS $356,000, DVD $18,184,000, BluRay $44,000
- Reported or Estimated Net Budget (after tax, product placements, & grants)
- Theatrical box office grosses split into Domestic, International, and Worldwide totals.
- Union-modeled residuals using SAG-AFTRA and WGA schedules as a simplified estimate proxy.
- reestimate_prior_estimate;covid_mult=1.00;peer_count=0;reg_box_pred=1060505;reg_main_pred=1889458
Budget Tooltip
Reported or Estimated Net Budget (after tax, product placements, & grants)
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