Snow Leopard

Pema Tseden (Jinpa, NYAFF 2019), the late, great poet of Tibetan cinema, saved his most magical, fantastical tale for last. When a white snow leopard breaks into a family’s stockyard and mauls nine rams, all hell breaks loose. The patriarch is ready to go all “eye for an eye” on the big cat, but then the cops, a TV crew, and a monk show up, each with their own two cents to throw in. What follows is a metaphorical and metaphysical showdown on the Tibetan steppe, as tradition and modernity butt heads in a debate that’s as raw and unfiltered as it gets. Tseden, who pioneered Tibetan-language filmmaking, lets his characters speak their minds in a way that’s both theatrical and spiritual, tackling the age-old tug-of-war between humans and nature, and the battles we wage against each other.