A film review from our Duke Of Edinburgh volunteer
We asked Lewis Perth, our Duke of Edinburgh volunteer, to write a review of our first film of 2026, ‘Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom’.
“I loved this film because it is beautiful and innocent” - Lewis
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom is a 2019 independent Bhutanese drama film directed by Pawo Choyning that creates so many emotions and has themes like community, and the importance of education and tradition. The film is about a young Bhutanese teacher, called Ugyen, who is sent off to teach children in the most remote school in a village called Lunana. Ugyen, being from the city, struggles living here due to its limited resources and how remote and isolated this village is. During the film, he battles with the dilemma of staying and helping this community or leaving to follow his own dreams of working in Australia.
During his time in Lunana, Ugyen gets to know many people in the village, such as Michen, a member of the village who guides him and teaches him in the ways of the village; Saldon, a local village woman who teaches him traditional songs that she sings, and a young girl, called Pam Zam, who lives with her parents and loves Ugyen and his lessons and begs him to stay.
I loved this film because it is beautiful and innocent and is easy to escape into. I also loved the gorgeous scenery of the Himalayan mountains and the film's magical, traditional songs. I felt I could relate to it as I am also a young adult who can be reliant on technology and would find it difficult to live in such a remote part of the world.
In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this film for adults, families and really anyone who wants a gentle, magical, escapist and heart-warming film.
Lewis Perth
Screen Porty / Duke of Edinburgh volunteer