Certain exotic locations and cultures are better experienced via film than in real life—especially when lacking the stamina and endurance. The Nepalese who trek across the mountains of the Dolpo Valley fit into this category. That's why I'm thankful that French filmmaker Eric Valli lived in Nepal for many years and has crafted Himalaya after taking pictures for Life magazine and National Geographic, filming some documentaries, and acting as a unit director on Seven Years in Tibet. The main strengths of the film rely on the intimate knowledge that Valli has gained over the years and on the relationships that he has formed with the people. Thus, the actors are no Brad Pitt types, but are real Tibetans from the Nepalese region.

Of course using non-professional actors has some drawbacks. While lending authenticity to the story and making much of the subtitled Himalaya feel like a documentary, some of the dramatic scenes play awkwardly. But this is a small quibble for the results that Valli achieves with this visually breathtaking and enlightening film.

The opening scene alone with the feet of a caravan of yaks kicking up the dust as we hear Buddhist chanting mixed in with Bruno Coulais' ethereal musical score lets us know that we are in for a wonderful experience. Valli delivers. Far superior to the misguided Seven Years in Tibet, Valli's film deals with similar cultural territory to Scorsese's magical Kundun while having a format that parallels the remarkable Iranian film A Time for Drunken Horses (Bahman Ghobadi).

Like Ghobadi's film, Himalaya focuses on the struggle of a small group of people from a village that has relied on tradition and Religion to maintain their subsistence lifestyle high in the Nepalese Himalayas. As the aging Tinle (Thilen Lhondup) discusses how the village will require much more grain to survive the long winter with his grandson Pasang (played by the young, scene-stealing Karma Wangle), the caravan returns with the village chief, who has accidentally fallen to his death. The village chief happens to be Tinle's son, and the angered old man unjustly blames Karma (Gurgon Kyap) for his son's death.

Complicating the situation is the fact that logic dictates the most capable man must lead the next caravan to exchange salt for grain, and Karma is the choice of the wiser heads of the village. But this decision is now adamantly opposed by Tinle, who now insists that he will again lead the caravan with his old yak and other old men.

Meanwhile, Karma decides that they must leave four days earlier than the llamas divine through the stars, so we have the outline of a classic metaphorical journey taking shape. Will it be the younger generation to prevail with their more modern and analytical ways, or will it be the older traditionalists? And what about Tinle's second son, Norbu (Karma Tensing), now a Buddhist monk and expert muralist?

Actually, as far as film personas Tensing seems the most accomplished. His underplayed emotional reunion with his mother comes across as very real, and he continues to anchor the film and balance it with spirituality when the plot begins to drift. However, most audiences will focus on the young kid, and Wangle constantly adds poignancy and humor to the film, giving the "future" an appealing personality in the epic journey.

Actually, all the characters come across as real people to care about, and Valli's cultural touches portraying the lifestyle highlight the film. As in Kundun, we see a funeral ritual involving vultures that may be a little hard for some to stomach. We also witness some of the spiritual practices of the people and such mundane activities as washing clothes by hand that communicate a great deal about the people—electronic appliances haven't been marketed to indigenous Tibetans high in the Himalayas.

Of course another reason to see the Himalaya must be for the amazing scenery. The dusty photography of the opening yak sequence begins the film with a cinematic blast, and the following shot of Tinle among the golden grain foreshadows more beautiful camerawork to come. Naturally we see breathtaking vistas of the snow covered Himalayas and an absolutely stunning view of a pure blue mountain lake. The aerial shot of the caravan winding its way along the mountainside along that lake is worth the ticket price, and makes us glad that we are only watching this incredible journey—a trek that makes an Everest ascent look like Disneyland's Matterhorn ride.

Not designed for mainstream American cinema, the film does retain a dramatic structure for those who expect a resolution for the journey, so a team of writers collaborated on the narrative. While Himalaya is the only screenwriting credit for Nathalie Azoulai and Jean-Claude Guillebaud, Olivier Dazat has helped write a number of films, and Louis Gardel (East-West and Indochine) has even more experience. The writers provide a credible storyline, but the real highlights of Valli's film remain the cinematography and cultural enlightenment that this film provides about people that very few of us would otherwise encounter.

The Himalayas are incredibly beautiful and the people seem very sincere and down to earth, but the bitter cold and rugged altitudes alone will keep most of us away from this corner of the world. Valli documents the tremendous beauty of this remote region and of its inhabitants in one of the year's better films.