A newly built road is a blessing and curse for the inhabitants of a remote mountain village. All at once their dreams are satisfied and their troubles begin. Creative, independent, and seven-year-old Bindray once made toys from plants and discarded socks, but now desires soda, sunglasses, and most of all a television. The set is a few months' salary for his parents who are already unable to pay the electric bill and who piece together a meager living from selling bamboo mats. Dad heads to the city and mom sells her simple yet highly treasured jewelry to try to satisfy their suddenly unruly boy.
A Road to a Village is strikingly realistic without being raw and graphic. It contains a surprising twist that is not typical for such films. While it is distressing to see the parents pushed into a life over which they have little control, the matter of marginalized people being left behind in the developing world is an urgent matter for the world's attention.
"Change is essential for the survival of the village," said director Nabin Subba who was present at this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Yet change seems impossible to the characters in the film. "I'm of no use to anyone now," says the dejected dad when villagers favor plastic to his hand-woven goods. In his desperation he searches for a way forward. The film honors those who stay and follow traditional lifestyles, for they typically don't get their share of development money when it comes to the countryside.
