Movie Review: ‘Gunyo Cholo (The Dress)’ is Haunting, Beautiful, Raw, and Deeply Moving
Nepal’s first coming-of-age transgender story, Gunyo Cholo (The Dress), written and directed by Samundra Bhatta, will be released in Nepal on August 29 and throughout the U.S. this fall, portraying the universal message of the struggle with identity and acceptance.
As Nepal works to solidify same-gender marriage rights, this film pushes the envelope by taking on the complex topic of the transgender experience. OFM had the privilege to be invited to view this foreign film in late June as the producers worked on final edits.
The story is haunting, beautiful, raw, and deeply moving. It successfully builds a deeper understanding and empathy in viewers regardless of their familiarity with the trans community.
For readers unfamiliar with the culture, the Gunyo Cholo ceremony is a traditional Nepalese ritual where a girl is gifted with the traditional “Gunyo Cholo” (The Dress) and sometimes a sari (Nepali traditional dress), to signify her “entrance” into womanhood.
This story begins in a small village in the mountains of Nepal where the parents of three girls are finally blessed with a boy—or so they thought. As the child grows, his true gender identity begins to be revealed, much to the dismay of the father, who insists he will raise a man to follow in his footsteps and fulfill his dream of having his son join the Nepalese army. As his son grows up, his father attempts to force him to become a strong young man capable of passing the tests to enter the army. However, as the father forces his child to adopt the cultural gender norms of a Nepalese boy becoming a man, deep inside, there is a girl screaming to come out and be accepted by family and peers.
The main character is portrayed by one of the most critically-acclaimed actors in Nepal, Najir Husen, well-known for his action-film roles. He studied and prepared diligently for this difficult role, spending over a year with the trans community in Kathmandu. Najir is absolutely spectacular in this role and really tugs at the heartstrings of viewers. The film also features the incredible vocals of world-renowned Lisa Gerrard, best known for her brilliant work in Gladiator with Hans Zimmer.
OFM had the pleasure of speaking with one of the film’s producers, V. Vansay Zanubon, an award-winning film producer, screenwriter, and director. Vansay shared his feelings about the probability of this film being popular in Nepal as well as internationally: “When I first saw a really rough cut of the film, I saw some potential that could resonate universally, so we took it on. I felt that we can make it be universally understood, as well as have an impact on a universal audience.” He goes on to say, “As this movie portrays, that could happen in the village up in a mountain in Nepal, so it could happen anywhere in the world. That’s why I felt that it was a universal story.”
The film has been selected by an Oscar-qualifying film festival, Tasveer Film Festival in Seattle, Washington, and will have its North American Premiere on October 12-20.
No doubt this story will have a life-saving impact on the LGBTQ+ community, especially the trans community, in Nepal and the rest of the world.
The film was filmed entirely in Nepal with post-production done in Denver, Colorado. The film is co-produced by Vzion Entertainment (Denver, CO), Skyocean Entertainment (Nepal), and Sabsung Studios (Parker, Co).
About the Director
Samundra Bhatta is one of the country’s renowned female Nepali Film Directors, and for the first time in history, is bringing Nepali’s first coming-of-age Transgender Narrative Film Gunyo Cholo (The Dress) to a worldwide audience. This is Samundra’s third film, following Ringroad (2013) and Aadhapage (2015). Samundra is the Treasurer of the Film Director’s Guild in Nepal.
Director Statement
This empowering journey of self-discovery story aims to unite people from all walks of life by exploring the inner feelings of the main character’s identity struggle. I want this film to resonate with a global audience from all spectrums. To achieve this, the producers and I discuss how we can tell this story to an international audience so that when they watch the film, they will forget that it is a film from Nepal and can relate to it from any culture or background. One of the ways we can achieve this is that music, a universal language, has to be original and profound. Fortunately, we brought on the award-winning. Music was composed and produced by Marcello DeFrancisci, with vocals by Lisa Gerrard. Acclaimed composer and producer Marcello De Francisci joined forces with Golden Globe winner Lisa Gerrard (yes, Gladiator, Whale Rider) joins forces with to create the film’s original score released globally by Air-Edel Records, the label behind The King’s Speech and The Danish Girl.
Most importantly, this film has the potential to open minds. After experiencing this movie, the audience will undoubtedly gain a fresh perspective on individual identity struggles. Ultimately, we hope this film can inspire unity on this universal subject, offering a hopeful vision for the future.
Photo courtesy of Gunyo Cholo
