Life Among the ‘Saltmen’ of the Earth

“The Saltmen of Tibet” wasn’t filmed in a galaxy far, far away, but it feels as though it might have been. A gentle, meditative documentary filled with spectacular visuals, it allows audiences the rare pleasure of experiencing a traditional way of life that is close to vanishing.

Even in Tibet, apparently, the lifestyle of nomadic salt gatherers, who spend three months of the year taking yak caravans to Lake Tsentso in the country’s far north to collect salt and bring it back to their encampment, is considered exotic. Yet seeing it all through the eyes of director Ulrike Koch is a cleansing, revivifying experience that’s as restorative as a mountain vista.

Having worked in different capacities on Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor” and “Little Buddha” and other films set in Central Asia, Koch is a filmmaker who specializes in this part of the world.

But even she, the notes tell us, had a difficult time finding the saltmen, who face stiff competition from traders who use trucks for hauling salt. However, aided by “Professor Zhang, manager of the ‘Frozen Yak Semen Station’ and a national hero,” Koch, cinematographer Pio Corradi and their crew finally made contact and began shooting.

What we see on screen is quintessentially unhurried and unobtrusive filmmaking. There is no voice-over, the only words that are spoken are in Tibetan, and whatever problems the crew had are scrupulously kept off the screen.

Neither is there any attempt to romanticize what is clearly a physically difficult existence. The aim is rather to immerse us in a simpler life in which no one moves any faster than the slowest yak and everything, including trading the salt for essential barley, is done just as it has been done for time out of mind.

“Saltmen” focuses on a group of four who make the journey, each of whom is given a traditional designation. The Old Mother is the most experienced; his tasks include preparing several strengths of all-important tea. The Old Father takes care of the many sacrificial offerings; the Lord of the Animals (whose mother is shown worrying that he’ll catch a cold) watches the livestock; and the young Novice is there to learn how things are done.

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Though these men have added such modern touches as wristwatches and sunglasses to their colorful traditional clothes, they still live a life in which religion and ritual are all-important. They’re intensely proud of their work, of the innumerable stories and legends that are associated with it, including one that led to a ban on Tibetan women making the trek.

“The Saltmen of Tibet” immerses us in the dailiness of these men’s lives as they head out to the salt marshes. We see them fording streams, coping with bad weather and worrying about a suddenly sick yak, all against the backdrop of some of the most memorable scenery in the world.

We also hear a lot about the rules that circumscribe the saltmen’s lives as they near the lake where salt is gathered. They must sit correctly, not curse, not do any bad deeds and, most important, converse in a secret salt language that is unknown to outsiders and not translated into English when used on film.

The salt gathering process is also one that necessitates a good deal of singing. There’s a song for scraping the salt and another one for sewing the sacks closed before they’re loaded onto the yaks. Also featured in the film is the hypnotic ballad singing of a celebrated woman whose specialty is the tale of King Gesar of Ling, one of Tibet’s great folk epics.

Somehow, the filmmakers have managed to seamlessly blend in with the nomads, recording their story without getting in the way. Seeing “The Saltmen of Tibet” doesn’t create a desire to be included on their next trip, but we’re more than pleased to have been taken along and hopeful that the tradition lasts until the current Novice is old enough to be an Old Mother himself.

* Unrated. Times guidelines: suitable for families.

‘The Saltmen of Tibet’

A Catpics Coproductions production with Duran Film, released by Zeitgeist Films. Director Ulrike Koch. Producers Christophe Bicker, Knut Winkler. Executive producer Alfi Sinniger. Screenplay Ulrike Koch. Cinematographer Pio Corradi. Editor Magdolna Rokob. Music Stefan Wulff, Frank Wulff. Sound Andreas Koppen, Uve Haussig. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.

* Playing at Laemmle’s Monica, 1332 2nd St., Santa Monica, (310) 394-9741.