THE GOLD-LADEN SHEEP AND THE SACRED MOUNTAIN follows two shepherds on an undisclosed mountain that learn a plane has crashed in the distance. The older shepherd, Arjun Puhal, begins his search while the other shepherd, Bahadur, is left to tend to the goats and sheep. Not long after his departure the younger shepherd becomes enraged and sets out to find the shepherd whilst drunk.

Filmmaker Ridham Janve integrates the audience into the lifestyle of the two lead characters with long shots overlooking the subjects at a distance while they undertake their tasks, then close up at night as they converse with one another. The cinematography utilised often reflects the nature of the location, colossal mountains juxtaposing with microscopic livestock in the foreground.

Discussing the nature of the film as a search and rescue narrative would be misleading: the film instead is a meditation on one’s nature and the nature around them. The film often cuts the soundtrack for quiet moments where Arjun looks at his surrounding in absolute stillness, gazing at the trees or looking at a reflection of himself in the water. These moments of quietness seem to suggest Arjun is in deep thought over himself and his place in these mountains. The audience is reminded numerous times that only a true shepherd can pass through the sacred mountains.

Arjun and Bahadur are at odds with each other throughout the film often making snide remarks about one another. Arjun’s bitterness towards Bahadur stems from his own personal anxieties of his deteriorating health and that Bahadur will eventually replace him, Arjun’s journey is one of acceptance of his condition. The sacred mountain, in this case, stands as Arjun’s own mountain he must cross so he may live in peace.

From the excellent soundtrack to the naturalist cinematography, THE GOLD-LADEN SHEEP AND THE SACRED MOUNTAIN is a meditative film that looks at the duality of nature. The long takes immerse the audience into the mountains seamlessly. Though it may not provide answers to the narrative’s mystery, there is resolution in Arjun’s journey through the sacred mountains that he overcame.