A film with charms and faults in equal measure, "Mask of Desire" revels in exotic Nepali traditions and ceremonies, as it tells the story of a young couple confronting the spiritual world. The story is as follows: Saraswati and her husband Dipak have two young daughters but dream of having a son. A mysterious hermit tells Saraswati that if she prays at the shrine of an obscure goddess (Tripura Mata), her wish will come true. However, after tragedy strikes soon after, she and her husband are forced to turn to a beautiful spiritual medium for help. If this sounds like a fairy tale, that's also how this movie feels- at least at the beginning. The medium, Gita, is a beautiful widow who performs exorcisms and cures afflictions that doctors can't treat. The lonely Gita, who has mixed feelings about her spiritual gifts, becomes fascinated by the couple, leading to some rather unexpected developments in the second half. "Mask of Desire" is at its best when it delves headfirst into supernatural themes of religion and spirits, but falls a little flat when it wanders off into soap-opera territory with the accompanying South Asian melodrama.
Though clearly made on a limited budget, the director makes good use of locations. The exorcism scenes are suitably eerie, performances adequate (particularly Gita), and the ending a little bit of a disappointment. Whatever you think about the filmmaking, "Mask of Desire" is an interesting cultural experience. In 2000, it became the first Nepali-language film and the first by a Nepali director ever to be sent to the Oscars (Nepal sent a Tibetan-language film by a French director in 1999). I was able to watch it in 2010 by signing up for an account with the online UNESCO Media Library.
Though clearly made on a limited budget, the director makes good use of locations. The exorcism scenes are suitably eerie, performances adequate (particularly Gita), and the ending a little bit of a disappointment. Whatever you think about the filmmaking, "Mask of Desire" is an interesting cultural experience. In 2000, it became the first Nepali-language film and the first by a Nepali director ever to be sent to the Oscars (Nepal sent a Tibetan-language film by a French director in 1999). I was able to watch it in 2010 by signing up for an account with the online UNESCO Media Library.