‘A Road to a Village’ Review: Critique of Modernisation Undermined by Storytelling

Originally published in The Indiependent on 27 July 2025

(Source: Basuri Films)

A road is built between a small Nepali village and the modern city. A shabby bus travels there from time to time, bringing TV, money, and disruption to the village. A Road to a Village captures the dreams and struggles of the village’s rural Nepalese inhabitants as they navigate the road to modernisation.

★★★☆☆

A Road to a Village, directed by Nabin Subba, follows the life of a family in a mountainous village in eastern Nepal after a new road connects it to the city. The rural setting is one that most people can imagine—peaceful with photogenic scenery, yet impoverished, with children struggling to study due to a lack of electricity. After the road is built, these children, including the family’s seven-year-old son, Bindre (Prasan Rai), are exposed to modern and Western possessions like TVs and Coca-Cola. His father, Maila (Dayahang Rai), a basket weaver, feels pressured to satisfy his son’s growing desires for these novelties. The introduction of materialism also alters the village’s social dynamics: families become fragmented as fathers leave to work in the city, and those who own Western technology gain social authority.

The impacts of modernisation on indigenous communities, such as increasing income levels and disruptions to traditional social order, have been widely discussed in many news reports and documentaries. What makes this film distinctive is its exploration of the issue from a child’s perspective. When Bindre tries Coke for the first time, given to him by a veteran who runs the local grocery store, he demands his classmates salute him before he lets them taste it, turning his friends into underlings. It’s a powerful scene; even children can be swept up by the allure of wealth and power. The child’s point of view introduces a layer of innocence, which sharpens the film’s satire on the destructive forces of materialism and capitalism.

However, Bindre’s overall character development is too weak to fully support the film’s critique of modernisation. He often throws tantrums, demanding a TV and electricity, and refuses to study when his father can’t provide them. His mother punishes him harshly, while his father tries to meet all his demands. Although this conflict reflects how members of traditional societies struggle to keep up with the galloping pace of change, the same argument is repeated throughout the film. Bindre’s personality and his relationship with his parents remain static, making him more like a petulant child than a symbol of larger cultural tensions. This may distract audiences from fully grasping the roots of the family’s conflict or the film’s thematic depth.

There are other scenes that keep looping throughout the film, such as villagers discussing whether a father should leave the family to work in the city. These discussions, and the social pressure placed on Maila to earn more money, do illustrate how modernisation and Westernisation reshape family structures and masculinity. However, the recurrence of these scenes weakens their impact rather than deepening it. Since the climax arrives only at the very end, the plot feels flat and lacks effective progression as a whole.

A Road to a Village undoubtedly sheds light on crucial socio-political problems in Nepal’s development. According to the research of Nepal’s Tribhuvan University, rapid modernisation in Nepal over the 21st century has intensified corruption in the government, regional disparity in job opportunities and infrastructure, brain drain and more. These issues, seen in other developing countries following the single western model of modernisation, are all touched on in the film.

Financed using a community funding model, the film lets the Nepalese tell their own stories without the influence of foreign capital. Cinematography by Josh Herum invites the audience to appreciate Nepalese nature and traditional culture in particular as it captures the simple lifestyle and rugged beauty of the village. It would be a shame if the film’s shortcomings in character and plot development prevent these authentic voices from reaching a global audience.

The Verdict

A Road to a Village is a thought-provoking film critiquing the damage modernisation and westernisation have brought to Nepalese indigenous communities. It ambitiously tackles social and political themes but falls short of fully supporting them with effective storytelling. From a film production perspective, it underscores the importance of balancing narrative development with thematic depth.