Far Beyond the Pasturelands review – on the trail of the ‘Himalayan Viagra’
Every year, thousands of Nepalese villagers make their way to the Himalayan foothills in search of a fungus called yarsagumba. Known for its aphrodisiac properties, the elusive substance sells in China for a price higher than gold. Following Lalita, a young mother among the countless trekkers, this intimate documentary from Maude PlanteHusaruk and Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis paints a stirring portrait of a community exploited by modern commerce.
Living in the largely agrarian village of Maikot, a wistful Lalita thinks back on her adolescent dreams of going to university, but an early marriage and now motherhood put a stop to her education. Through observational camerawork, the film subtly highlights the gender gap in this part of Nepal, as the bulk of farming and domestic work is undertaken by women. In braving the tough journey towards the Himalayas,
Lalita is also walking towards a brighter future for her young daughter.
Famously difficult to spot, yarsagumba grows from the decomposed bodies of caterpillars and blends seamlessly into the earthy ground. Taking place during harsh weather conditions, the harvest puts incredible strain on the villagers, who are housed in makeshift rudimentary tents. These hardships are temporarily stemmed by moments of communal joy; there is an “entertainment” tent where the villagers gather to watch movies and listen to music.
Their meagre pay pales in comparison with the earnings of the wholesalers, who can make up to $18,000 (£14,500) a kilo. When viewed in wide shots, the ant-like figures of the collectors and the majesty of the snowbound mountain ranges evoke an uneasy juxtaposition of exploitation and beauty. Here are the blood, sweat, and tears poured into each shiny package of the “Himalayan Viagra”.
• Far Beyond the Pasturelands is on True Story from 19 April
twee, knowing arrangements. I subsequently found out that all these clever arrangements were just the presets on a Yamaha keyboard. All you do is play C, F and G and it instantly gives you a backing track – a drumbeat and horn parts in different musical styles. But I thought he was a musical genius. I listened to nothing else for months and eventually went to see them play. I was surprised at the look of the band – all dressed in black. The songs were brilliant. I spoke to the A&R man but was told that they’d decided to go with another producer, so I went home without meeting the band.
They recorded a version of You’re Gorgeous and one or two other tracks in a very faithful representation of how the band sounded live, but it didn’t have the quirkiness or character of the stuff Stephen had recorded on his own. When I was brought in, I knew I had to get the band on side. We recorded some tracks with the whole group, including Goodnight, the first single from their 1996 album Ugly Beautiful. But when it came to You’re Gorgeous, I programmed up a version and just got Stephen singing over the top. Everyone loved it. I can remember sitting in a flat in London listening to the chart countdown, thinking: “It’s not No 5 … it’s not No 4 …” It went in at No 3, in spite of how dark the lyrics are.
I think Stephen was OK with it but the rest of band thought it became a bit of an albatross around the neck. I got on very well with them during the recording but then they wouldn’t speak to me for ages because they thought I’d turned them into a one-hit-wonder band.