Abinash Bikram Shah’s Elephants in the Fog is a compelling thriller about love, loss, and prejudice in a close knit community in Nepal.
Director: Abinash Bikram Shah
Original title: Tiniharu
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Run Time: 103
BFI London Film Festival Screening: October 17, 2026
U.S. Release Date: TBA
U.K. Release Date: TBA
Set in Thori, a rural municipality of Nepal, Elephants in the Fog focuses its narrative on the local Kinnar community, made up of the matriarch Pirati (Pushpa Thing Lama) and her adopted daughters. The transgender women make up their own family, despite the prejudices they face and the way they are perceived from people outside of their community in their village surrounded by elephants.
When Aspara, one of Pirati’s daughters, goes missing, her family does everything in their power to find her and get justice, while Pirati herself is torn between her duty to the community as a Kinnar and her need for personal freedom and love.
Elephants in the Fog explores a community that many in the audience may not be familiar with and shines a light on what life really looks like from their perspective. This is true in terms of the narrative as well as behind the camera, as the actors cast in the roles of the Kinnears are transgender women, many of whom are making their acting debut for the first time in this movie. Pushpa Rhing Lama, the lead actress, is a Kinnar activist in real life as well, which adds another layer to the representation that this film brings to light.
The Kinnars themselves and the relationships between them are the beating heart of this character-driven movie, and the driving force behind this story. The choice to film on location is also a successful one, as the film highlights the landscape of the country it is filmed in. Directed by Abinash Bikram Shuah, Elephants in the Fog is as much about the Kinnears as it is about the place in which it is set and filmed in, which is constantly present in the narrative through the beautiful cinematography by Noé Bach.
Unfortunately, Elephants in the Fog tends to focus on Pirati more than anyone else. While she is the main character, I often found myself wanting to learn more about the other Kinnars who are equally as compelling and fascinating and whose story would have added even more depth to this film. While tense throughout, the first act feels slower than the rest of the movie. Much of it sets up the setting as well as the key information that the audience should be aware of regarding the Kinnar community and how they are perceived but lacks in action and pacing.
Overall, Elephants in the Fog is a powerful film that shines a light on an underrepresented and misunderstood community in Nepal and the love they have for each other. Like a small handful of international films before it, Shahl’s feature debut continues the tradition established by Italian neorealism of on location shooting, non-professional actors, and focusing on the everyday people in a masterful way. In doing so, the film manages to continue the legacy of classic masterpieces like Roberto Rosselini’s Rome, Open City, Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, and Satyaljit Ray’s Pather Panchali.
Elephants in the Fog: Movie Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
Pirati is the leader of a Kinnar community in Nepal who struggles between her duty and her relationship, especially when Aspara, one of her daughters, goes missing.
Pros:
- The characters are beautifully written and fascinating to see on screen.
- The cinematography is impressive and it showcases the location the film shot in.
- It shines a light on an underrepresented community.
Cons:
- The pacing is a little slow in the first half before the main plot starts happening.
- Some of the other Kinnars could have been explored more.
Elephants in the Fog will be screened at the BFI London Film Festival on October 17-18, 2026.