An introduction to The Monk and the Gun
Notes from an introduction to The Monk and the Gun (Dorji 2023) by Dan Katz at our screening in June 2025. Our audience gave this film 4.3 stars.
“What would a monk want with a gun?”
The Monk and The Gun is a 2023 Bhutanese film by director Pawo Choyning Dorji. His previous movie, 2019’s Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, was not only Bhutan’s first ever Oscar-nominated film, it was also one of the few movie productions in the world to have been powered exclusively by solar energy.
The Monk and The Gun has received critical acclaim globally. It was shortlisted for a Best International Feature Film for the 2024 Oscars, won the Showcase Audience Choice Award for the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival and was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Rome Film Festival. The film is in Dzongkha and English, with English subtitles.
Bhutan facts
I don’t know how much you know about Bhutan, but it is a fascinating country, nestled in the Himalayas between China and India. For a bit of background, here are a few Bhutan facts for you:
The official name of the country is Drukyul, which translates as the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
Until 1974, the country was closed to foreign visitors.
There are around 24 first languages spoken in Bhutan.
Just under ¾ of the country identifies as Buddhist, and ¼ as Hindu.
Its main measure of performance as a country is not the Gross Domestic Product, it is Gross Domestic Happiness - a political philosophy inspired by the country’s Buddhist traditions.
Bhutan introduced television and the internet in 1999.
Finally (and most pertinently for the film), until 2006 the Wangchuk Dynasty was the ruling absolute monarchy. At that time, the wildly popular king voluntarily abdicated the throne and introduced reforms aimed at creating “a more inclusive and representative government.” So rather than being driven by grassroots demands or hard-fought rights, this was a “top-down” imposition of democracy. The monarchy is now a constitutional one, like Australia’s. This introduction of democracy is the backdrop against which The Monk and the Gun is set.
Gross Domestic Happiness
This is a film about contrasts: the old ways and the new, the city and the country, tradition and modernity, antique rifles and AK47s, pacifist monks and James Bond. It highlights the difficulties of changing a society that has largely been isolated from outside influences and sees no need to change.
The scenery is beautiful and the film is gorgeously shot - not surprising considering that the director’s background is as a photographer. He is also a devout Buddhist, and this influence is evident throughout the film, not just in the prominent roles played by a monk and a lama, but also in the film’s structure and narrative. Interestingly, he also has a degree in Government from Lawrence University in the USA.
The Monk and the Gun is a feel-good, dead pan, gentle and subtle satire (with a few laugh out loud moments on the way), a charming comedy of errors and a beautiful love letter to a place and its people. It’s about monks, guns, democracy, greed, tranquility, change and Bhutan. I first read about this film in an article in which the writer said, “The Monk and the Gun spun a story that stayed locked in my head, snuggled into my heart, and made me giggle throughout - all in equal measure.” This is what made me want to see this film. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It will undoubtedly add to the Gross Domestic Happiness in this room.
Further reading
My favourite film of 2024? A breezy comedy about monks, guns, and democracy - Liam Maguren, Flicks, 21 Jan 2025
In Defence of The Monk and the Gun - Sasha B. Chhabra, CommonWealth Magazine, 16 Sep 2024
Democracy Should Be Thought of as a Verb: Pawo Choyning Dorji’s The Monk and the Gun - Jennifer Eagleton, Cha, 6 Sep 2024
The Monk and the Gun and the Paradox of Life - Shaopeng, Shaopeng, 11 Aug 2024