Golden Kingdom

They are just children but already they are little monks. Every day, four boys pray and meditate before a large statue of a golden Buddha in a remote monastery in Myanmar. Sometimes they fool around and play in the beautiful countryside. An old monk takes care of them and teaches them. One day, the old man has to leave and the four boys are left to fend for themselves. Strange things begin to happen. The man who brings their food every day stops coming, gunfire can be heard, and all kinds of ghostly sounds and voices mix with the birdsong. Are they imagining things or is this real?
All of a sudden, the nearby village is abandoned and the young novices have no idea if the old monk will ever return. Director Brian Perkins gently unfolds this story from a forgotten part of the world where there is neither electricity nor telephone, meals are cooked on log fires and the mountain paths are too narrow for cars. Perkins spent a long time travelling in Myanmar and learning the language before making his film. The result is an exceptional debut: his intense involvement provides the viewer with insights into a previously unseen Myanmar.