Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait

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Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait

2025

1h 36m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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2 Reviews

75%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

A man enters a clearing, dons a mask, plays a flute, and waits. He is soon joined by other masked people carrying machetes, spears, and bows. They take him to a place deep in the jungle where a ceremony is about to commence, and an elder explains the rules. The ritual takes place once every 12 years. It begins with the full moon, and no one may leave until the new moon rises. Identities beneath the masks must not be revealed. "You are here to prepare for the gap between death and birth," the elder explains. "You are here to find out who you really are." Self-discovery lies at the heart of this mesmerizing film from Khyentse Norbu (The Cup, Travellers and Magicians). The Bhutanese lama and filmmaker, recognized by Tibetan Buddhists as the third incarnation of the founder of Khyentse lineage, imbues his films with a rare spiritual wisdom -- though not at the expense of the traditional movie-going pleasures of spectacle, character, and suspense. Inspired by the concept of the bardo, a state through which departed souls pass before entering their next incarnation, Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait is a colorful plunge into a world where ancient rites can summon our noblest and our basest instincts. Anonymity is intoxicating, the elder warns the participants, and can provoke reckless action. Indeed, between dazzling displays of ritual dance we will witness thievery, violation, and even murder. Can there be such a thing as justice in this self-contained world beholden to the ceremonial rules? As it draws nearer to its climax, Hema Hema reveals insights into human nature and how it manifests, not just in the wild but also in the modern world of endless distraction.

Namrata Joshi

The Hindu

07/24/2018

A metaphorical interpretation of insidious violence.

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Robert Koehler

Cinema Scope

09/29/2017

It's an interesting gambit for an international man of cinema, and nirvana.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Aug 9

Success in 1 hour and 36 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dubbed and subtitled in worldwide studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Synopsis

A man enters a clearing, dons a mask, plays a flute, and waits. He is soon joined by other masked people carrying machetes, spears, and bows. They take him to a place deep in the jungle where a ceremony is about to commence, and an elder explains the rules. The ritual takes place once every 12 years. It begins with the full moon, and no one may leave until the new moon rises. Identities beneath the masks must not be revealed. "You are here to prepare for the gap between death and birth," the elder explains. "You are here to find out who you really are." Self-discovery lies at the heart of this mesmerizing film from Khyentse Norbu (The Cup, Travellers and Magicians). The Bhutanese lama and filmmaker, recognized by Tibetan Buddhists as the third incarnation of the founder of Khyentse lineage, imbues his films with a rare spiritual wisdom -- though not at the expense of the traditional movie-going pleasures of spectacle, character, and suspense. Inspired by the concept of the bardo, a state through which departed souls pass before entering their next incarnation, Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait is a colorful plunge into a world where ancient rites can summon our noblest and our basest instincts. Anonymity is intoxicating, the elder warns the participants, and can provoke reckless action. Indeed, between dazzling displays of ritual dance we will witness thievery, violation, and even murder. Can there be such a thing as justice in this self-contained world beholden to the ceremonial rules? As it draws nearer to its climax, Hema Hema reveals insights into human nature and how it manifests, not just in the wild but also in the modern world of endless distraction.

Director: Khyentse Norbu
Producer: Sarah Chen, Pawo Choyning Dorji
Screenwriter: Khyentse Norbu
Distributor: Dekanalog
Production Co: Tsong Tsong Ma Productions, Dewathang Talkie
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Dzongkha
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 8, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 36m