Saayad (Nepal 2012)

Movies from Nepal are still widely unknown outside the community. This is not only because everybody outside the NP community lacks interest in these movies, but also because most of them arre not supplied with subtitles. - OK, Nepalese is easy, but you still have to learn it (and the toughest thing is to find a teacher). I know what I talk about, as most teachers run away, once they have received the money.
These problems we didn't have with Saayad, as it was subtitled.
The movie is about drugs. We follow loosely the biography of two brothers (the movie has many loose ends, threads that begin and never end). After the death of their parents, the elder brother takes care of his bhai, but the younger las is a bit of a spoiled brat. He knows that daai always will save him, no matter what he does.
The younger brother is quite good at school, but he lacks some spice in his life, so he starts using drugs. We witness how he gradually looses grip of reality and at last he lives in a world that is only accessible to him self.
The last words of the movie read: It could be your story --- and here we see the target group, Nepali youths. The film is an admonition to them not to regard drugs as a shortcut to an adventurous life.
The film has some editing flaws in the first part - before intermission - but then the director speeds up the action and saves the film.
I'll give it 6/10.

Saayad - another movie from Nepal that transcends entertainment

Apabad (2012)

Movies from Nepali are not very often shown in this part of the world. Often the language is in between, as there are no subtitles available. That's why I couldn't see the movie Loot when it was around earlier this year. Fortunately now the movie was shown with subtitles.
The movie is about a daydreamer in Kathmandu. His father wants him to follow the way of business, but he prefers to be a creative writer. At last the parents agree to send him to a school in the UK. They use all their savings and even take a loan. But then it appears that the money is lost, as the school was blacklisted. -- He tries to take his life, but is cast away on an island. Here he tries to live his own life; he manages to survive and actually succeeds to grow his own vegetables. A success, as his father predicted he would always be depending on him. But he realises that the success is only worthy of that name when he can share it.
In the meantime his parents also develop. His father realises, that the boy needed to make his own way. The parents and the boy's girl-friend to publish his writings as a manifest. The book becomes a tremendous success.
The morale of the movie is obvious, but the plot is not so simplistic as a short resume sounds. 
The movie is very nice, beautifully shot and has a message that is now more important for Nepal than anytime before.
I want to be gracious and will give it 9/10 together with unlimited praise to director Subash Koirala.

Nepali's youth between reality and hope