"Butter Lamp" is an incredibly simple film. It consists of a variety of Tibetans being photographed in front of a variety of backgrounds that are obviously NOT in Tibet. You see families posing in front of such settings as tropical beaches and even Disneyland Hong Kong. And, in the end, when the cameraman and his assistant are leaving, you get a chance to see where the photos are being shot. During all this, the focus of the film camera is fixed--and never moves once. Technically speaking, it's a very simple film and there is nothing to the story other than seeing nomadic people being photographed. Oddly, I heard a few people in the audience laughing hard during this film but there's very little that's funny about this film. It does have some points to make about progress, society and, perhaps, about changes being forced on the Tibetans. But it also left me wondering why the film was nominated, as I keep waiting and waiting for SOMETHING exciting or innovative to occur...yet nothing seemed to happen.
