Kesang Tseten, a documentary filmmaker from Nepal who had two films at DOK Leipzig before, has united several films in one this time. In four stylistically and dramatically diverse episodes, he examines everyday life and work processes. They revolve around the theme of “Men at Work” in a mixture of meditation, interview, observation, and investigation.
There’s an observation of a boy on a terrace who is dedicatedly washing laundry while he frequently casts curious glances at a few other boys who are playing football. The next location is a garage where old car bodies that have really seen better days are welded together and polished with stoic patience. Kesang Tseten takes us to a priests’ school next, to which mostly boys from poor families are sent to prepare for their lives as priests. Hard work and suppressed tears are their daily bread.
Last in this round is a look at a post-colonial relic, the Ghurkha. Many young Nepalese men still regard it as the highest honour to be recruited as a soldier of the British armed forces: not just a job, a mission.

Lina Dinkla