An ode to family, food, and forgiveness

 “With Love from Bhutan” is a meditation on fractured family ties, the bitter-sweet pull of home, and the healing power of food.

The film is Charmi Chheda’s third feature film, following her festival-acclaimed works “Gangnam Girls” and “Buelwa – An Offering”. Produced by Wangchuk Studios, the film recently had its world premiere at the prestigious International Film Festival of India in Goa.

The film follows Jimmy (Tashi Wangchuk), an American-Bhutanese food anthropology student, who returns to Bhutan after two decades. His mother, Jane (Carissa Nimah), once the formidable force behind the pioneering restaurant Pelbue, had left Bhutan suddenly, taking Jimmy with her while leaving behind her stepdaughter, Yangchen (Tshering Denkar) with her estranged husband, Karma (Kunga T Dorji).  This sudden departure leaves deep wounds that fester over time, leaving Yangchen estranged, hurt, and alienated.

As Jimmy attempts to bridge the chasm between them, old resentments resurface, threatening to upend the fragile relationships that remain.

From the moment Jimmy sets foot in Bhutan, the film establishes its thematic core: no family is perfect. There are always rifts and cracks, tensions and conflicts—hurts and heartbreaks. But without family, where does one belong? Charmi Chheda skilfully unravels this paradox, showing how love and pain are often two sides of the same coin.

The film’s narrative is underpinned by the transformative power of food—a motif that runs like a golden thread through its two-hour-and-seven-minute runtime.

A student of food anthropology, Jimmy finds himself drawn to Pelbue, now in the hands of Aryatara (Tandin Bidha), Jane’s former staff member’s daughter, who has nurtured the restaurant into a thriving enterprise. Through food, Jimmy reconnects not just with Aryatara but also with his past. In fact, food becomes an interesting backdrop of the film—even a character of sort—carrying the weight of nostalgia, longing, and reconciliation.

The performances by the stellar ensemble cast are strong. Newcomer Tashi Wangchuk delivers a nuanced portrayal of Jimmy, a man caught between the two worlds—carrying the burden of a secret he alone knows. Tshering Denkar as Yangchen is equally compelling, embodying quiet devastation and unspoken rage with a restraint that makes her eventual catharsis all the more poignant. Kunga T. Dorji (Supe) who plays Karma, the tormented artist and father with a tragic charm, ably portrays his character as a man lost in his own universe and totally disconnected with his two children.

Charmi Chheda’s direction is subtle. She does not force emotional moments but lets them unfold organically, mirroring the slow-burning nature of familial healing. The screenplay delicately balances intimate character moments with broader cultural reflections, illustrating how deeply Bhutanese identity is tied to notions of home, heritage, and communal bonds.

Jane, despite her departure, never lets Bhutan slip away from Jimmy’s upbringing, underscoring the film’s overarching message: while one may physically leave, the ties to home remain indelible.

Cinematographer Sonam Adhikari (Director of Photography of “Pig at the Crossing”) employs a restrained, almost observational approach. His camera starts at a distance, watching as an outsider, then moves in closer as the characters lower their defenses, revealing their deepest emotions. The juxtaposition of breathtaking vistas with the claustrophobic confines of  kitchens and homes accentuates the characters’ internal struggles—freedom in nature, constraint within relationships.

Beyond its narrative, “With Love from Bhutan” subtly echoes a deeper sentiment—that of diasporic longing. No matter where one goes, in pursuit of ambition, love, or escape, home remains an ever-present specter, waiting for one’s return. Jane’s decision to leave Bhutan may have reshaped their lives, but it never severed their connection to it. In a world where migration is increasingly common, the film resonates with the universal experience of leaving and longing.

The climax, in which Jimmy reveals a secret that he has been carrying all this while, delivers an emotional gut punch. It is at this point that the film crystallizes its message—love, in all its flawed complexity, is what ultimately binds us together, and that while reconciliation is neither simple nor immediate, it is necessary.

“With Love from Bhutan” is a love letter to Bhutan and to “the family we are born with and the family we make along the way”.

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