Thomas Balmès was very fascinated with the introduction of technology to societies that never had it before.

In 2014’s Happiness, he documented a rural village in Bhutan in the Himalayan region, which was first introduced to roads, electricity, and cable television. He witnessed astonishing changes with the villagers and children as they witness cars, toilets, and lights.

Now, Balmès followed up with the next installment with Sing Me A Song, in which he followed one of his previous subjects, Peyangki, many years later. The young man struggles with balancing his Buddhist monk studies with smartphones, television, video games, and a girl.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Award-winning director/producer Thomas Balmès returns to one of his beloved Happiness subjects, Peyangki, now a teenaged Buddhist monk living in a rural (yet Wi-Fi equipped) monastery in Bhutan, absorbed in the wonders of the world that are a simple click away. The structured daily village rituals of prayer and candle lighting now compete with the powerful lure of smartphones and television.

Apps for chats and dating introduce the monks to girls and violent video games, neither of which quite line up with the traditional vows of the monks. Peyangki is passionate about love songs and forms a relationship over an app, WeChat, with a young singer (Ugyen) in the “big city” of Thimphu. Distracted and disinterested in the study, and often scolded by his masters and mother, he sells medicinal mushrooms to make enough money to leave the monastery and travel to Ugyen.

A nuanced portrait of a young man’s introduction to the world, Balmès offers us an eye-opening snapshot of the effects of technology and challenges us to reassess our perceptions of self-worth and beliefs in an age of unparalleled connectivity.

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LRM Online’s Gig Patta discussed the young monk, technology, and the female singer in the documentary. Also, he told us that this was the intended documentary he wanted to make.

Sing Me A Song releases from Gravitas Ventures via virtual cinemas and on VOD platforms on Friday, January 1.

Watch the exclusive interview with director Thomas Balmès below. Let us know what you think.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Gravitas Ventures