The Silent Echo

A small group of Nepalese children head to the city in order to take part in a band contest.

Four children spend their days in the mountains of Mustang, where there is an abandoned bus. They play inside the bus and sing. They appear to have quite a passion for singing and having found out that a band contest is taking place in a nearby city, they decide to participate.

With limited dialogue and plenty of singing, this beautiful short drama tells an emotional story that is shown through the eyes of four children. The film could be categorised as a road movie and partly, maybe even as a musical. The narrative begins by showing how the children like to hang around the abandoned bus, then they travel by bus to the city and reach the place where the competition is taking place.

The screenplay indicates that the four children are living lives without a great deal of money and yet, they appear happy, constantly laughing and singing. Their song's lyrics are about hardship, which could mean that they live challenging lives. Although their effort at the contest fails to impress the people present, that does not seem to break their spirit. Singing appears to be their strength, it appears to be the thing that keeps the four of them together.

Sen's spectacular directing is one of the strongest aspects of the film. Filming took place in Mustang, Nepal and Sen perfectly captures the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, particularly the mountains.

There is no non-diegetic music and the film's soundtrack consists mainly of the children's singing, who sing the same song three times throughout. The fact that their performance does not have an impact on the crowd might mean that their singing is something that should stay between the four of them, as it is only them that undestand what it means to them.

The script appears to suggest that these children belong where they are, in the mountains. As they leave the peacefulness of the countryside for the noisy city, they seem like outsiders in a place where they are not welcomed.

This is an impressive achievement that is very well made and explores themes that involve inner strength and how significant singing can be to a person. The story has its sad moments, ultimately though, it is a story that offers hope.