Bhutanese short film director Dechen Roder has introduced the neo-noir genre to Bhutanese cinema with her debut feature Honeygiver Among the Dogs. Screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, Honeygiver Among The Dogs is characterised by a mysterious female lead, stunning ochre-tinted visuals, a tightly woven screenplay with strong undertones of feminism and Buddhist principles of karma and enlightenment. This curious blend makes the movie an enigmatic watch, much like the femme fatale lead who traps a detective in her spell. “I wanted to make that rare noir film in which the female character is the vindicated character, though still leading the male protagonist on,” Roder told Scroll.in in Berlin after the screening.
Explain the title ‘Honeygiver Among The Dogs’.
The film at one level is about stories of women, told by women, recognising women for their power, their wisdom, and their compassion. On another level it is a detective story of a cop trying to solve a case and also having to come to terms with a powerful woman. But the title comes from one of the women in the film, Tashi.
There is a woman in our historical/religious past called Tashi Khyidron, who, as a young girl, recognised the power and enlightenment of another female saint or dakini when no one else in the community could. When this saint was being attacked and chased away as men thought she was a demoness, Tashi Khyidron brought the woman honey as an offering. In turn, the saint/dakini saw something in Tashi and took her back to Tibet from Bhutan to also realise her potential as a Buddhist consort/saint. So I called Tashi the honeygiver. Then the name Tashi Khyidron actually means Leader of the Dogs, or Auspicious Dog Keeper, so that is how I put the title together.
How did you arrive at the mix of neo-noir and feminism?
Well, I wasn’t very conscious about the mix. I think it just represents me. I have always loved detective films and novels. Sometimes I wish I had become a detective actually! Some of my favourite films are still noir or neo-noir, and I love reading detective stories. Before making Honeygiver, I was watching a lot of noir films and reading a lot of detective novels, partly as research for the film, also because I enjoyed them so much.
And then as a woman I have also been always drawn to female stories, and my mother has always inspired me with stories. So I suppose the mix comes from my cultural upbringing and childhood as well as contemporary foreign influences.
But then of course, as you can see in the film, I don’t like all the elements of noir, and that is why I deviate from it in a more feminist direction. Though I love noir, I am always uncomfortable with how it makes the female character a femme fatale that sort of tricks the detective or the male protagonist for her own interests. So I wanted to twist that a little bit. I wanted to make the rare noir film in which the female character is the vindicated character, though still leading the male protagonist on.
But since you’ve asked, I now see in a strange way actually the idea of the mysterious femme fatale, who we never really know but are somehow enchanted with and guided by is also similar to the idea of a dakini. In Bhutanese culture, the dakini is an enlightened Buddhist woman, whom we never fully know, but just have to allow ourselves to follow.
Your short film ‘Lo Sum Choe Sum’ (3 Year 3 Month Retreat) has parallels with ‘Honeygiver Among the Dogs’. Was that film a precursor to the full-length feature?
3 Year 3 Month Retreat can’t really be considered a precursor to Honeygiver, since actually I was slated to make Honeygiver before it. There are parallels with regard to woman protagonists, and I think that is the same thread that runs through my films. While in 3 year 3 month Retreat, the subjective point of view comes through the society, in Honeygiver, it is through the male detective. I deliberately used the male lens because I feel that represents better how we are told to see the world.
What inspires your work?
Though I’m inspired by most things in life, my main source of inspiration are old mythological stories I hear from my mother or contemporary stories from people around me. Of course, I suppose, a common thread of inspiration is female-centric stories. When it comes to form and approach, I am a lot more inspired by mystery format story-telling. I’m constantly trying to make sense of mysteries, exploring the truth if there is one, or finding out that there is no truth or too many truths. This sense of discovery inspires me.