A Road to A Village

This moving, insightful drama from director Nabin Subba delves deep into the dreams and struggles of a rural Nepali family when a road connects their once-remote village to the modern world — and introduces them to novelties both tantalizing and perilous.

For Maila (Dayahang Rai), a basket weaver, life has changed relatively little since the time of his parents and grandparents. But with the coming of the road, his village is suddenly exposed to dizzying marvels of culture and technology. Maila’s seven-year-old son, Bindray, has always been clever and resourceful, making toys from plants and soccer balls from socks and paper, but now he is eager to drink Coke, wear sunglasses, and listen to hip hop. What’s more, Bindray begs his father for a television: an item with a staggering price tag.

Already months behind on his electricity payments, Maila discovers that his neighbours would now prefer to buy a cheap tarp than an artisanal bamboo mat. It seems Maila’s only hope of financial stability is to travel to the city to sell his wares, but the urban bustle brings its own threats — and the city streets are haunted by the ghosts of those Maila has loved and lost.

Written by Subba and Mahesh Rai, A Road to A Village takes a broad view of the collision of old and new. There are moments that will break your heart, but there is also in this deeply humane film an understanding that a willingness to dream and a capacity for change are essential to survival.

ROBYN CITIZEN

Official Selection, 2023 Toronto International Film Festival