Atang leaves the slums of the big city to bury his estranged father in the remote, mountainous village where he was born. Befriended by an orphan herd-boy and stirred by memories of his youth, he falls in love with his childhood friend, Dineo, now a radiant young teacher. Through her, Atang is drawn to the mystical beauty and hardships of the people, and faces his own bittersweet reckoning.
The film has received much praise for its cinematography, and especially for its portrayal of the stark, natural beauty of Lesotho – a largely mountainous country which, in tourist brochure language, is often referred to as the ‘Kingdom in the Sky’. Lesotho’s lowest point is 1,400 metres above sea level (it boasts the title of having the ‘highest lowest point’ in the world), and the majority of the country is at an altitude of above 1,800 metres.
The Culture Trip
