India, July 23 -- Pawo Choyning Dorji's sophomore feature, after the Oscar-nominated Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, is a far more ambitious affair. This is a film of charming simplicity that paves the way for a vivid political satire about a land and its people. It is 2006. Bhutan is about to become the world's youngest democracy. But what is democracy to its people? They think they don't need it in the first place. The road ahead will bring a lot of advancements- cellphones, television, a mock election and yes, a gun.

The film starts off gently, setting the scene in the gorgeous village of Ura. The inhabitants live in an interconnected, pragmatic fashion, which is orchestrated wonderfully in the opening scenes. As the news of the upcom...