Orlo With Karma

Tibetan director Kangdrun’s Orlo with Karma brings us something quite different from the Tibetan New Wave films pioneered by directors like Pema Tseden.

The film’s titular character, young girl Orlo meets the young man Karma at her Mandarin class, and gradually develops feelings for him. Embedding a coming-of-age romance narrative within the context of urban Lhasa remains rare in contemporary Tibetan cinema—and it is precisely what makes the film stand out.

I especially loved how the Tibetan rap music Orlo listens to through her Beats headphones cleverly becomes the film’s soundtrack itself, perhaps hinting at how she’s constructing her identity between traditional Tibetan and urban middle class tastes.

As the trust between Orlo and Karma dissolves, the film shifts into a deeper narrative about the collapse and reconstruction of faith. Director Kangdrun doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, she subtly captures the quiet changes happening in contemporary Tibet, young people navigating the uncertainties of emotional and spiritual growth, and modernity, leaving us with plenty to reflect upon.

– Page ZHANG