Abstract:

This film could have been called the Art of Living-- it is a wonderful view into the life of the peole of Mustang. It is the story of an ancient culture tucked away in the largest mountains in the world, and of joyful people who sustain themselves under great odds. Slow moving scenes allow time to soak up the images, and the dialogue is by the people themsleves: simple villagers, the king of a remote village of Mustang, and Tibetan monks. The Art of Dying explores the approach to death as revealed in the ancient Tibetan scriptures and practiced in local customs. There is a graphic sequence of a sky burial-- cutting up of a body and offering it to the birds.