Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache

(Nepal, Mexico, Singapore / 2019 / Directed by Khyentse Norbu)

In this treat for both the eyes and for the soul, a young entrepreneur experiences a series of visions that lead him to seek spiritual advice from an eccentric monk who predicts his imminent death – unless he can locate an elusive lady with fangs and a moustache.

Tenzin (Tsering Tashi Gyalthang) is single-mindedly focused on creating Kathmandu’s first European-style café. While hunting for the perfect location, he visits a long-abandoned temple, snapping photographs of its ancient and sacred art. Later that day, during a music lesson with his closest friend Jachung (Tulku Kungzang), Tenzin has a strange vision of a girl in a poppy field, singing a haunting tune. Jolted back to reality, he pushes the image out of his mind, but soon he has another chilling hallucination, this time of his long-dead sister. Jachung insists that Tenzin seek advice from a notorious Buddhist oracle, yet Tenzin is a committed atheist who balks at his friend’s alarm and brushes him off as superstitious. As he stubbornly forges ahead with his café plans, his visions increase until he reluctantly agrees to a private audience with a monk who makes a terrifying prediction. Tenzin’s visions are a sign that his “life force” is running out, and death is imminent. He will die in seven days unless he can find a “dakini,” a mysterious living being with fangs and a moustache who is the embodiment of Buddhist teachings on “feminine energy.” With mystical and magical experiences invading his life, his carefully constructed reality begins to unravel and reshape itself in his search to find her.

Unrated / 1 hr 53 mins.
In Tibetan and Nepali with subtitles.