Fairytale of Kathmandu

By: Amos Lassen

Neasa Ni Chianain loves the poetry of Cathal O Searcaign, an Irish gay poet and she follows him to Nepal which he refers to as his cultural home and where he is inspired to write He is there for four months of each year and he has relationships with the boys there. Chianain, who directed this film, talks to the boys and she wants to understand why her hero gives them money, buys them clothes and pays for their educations. She realizes that there is sex involved and she confronts O Searcaign. What the poet is involved in is paying young men for their sexual favors.
Interesting relationships develop. We meet one young man who went to school at the poet's expense and who now has a jewelry shop paid for as well in the same way. He regards O Searcaign as his second father. The two had been having sex for several years and now the young man is married and a father but continues having sex with the man.
This film is interesting not only because of the nature of the film but also because we get the chance to hear the beauty of the Irish language.


Ó Searcaigh has always been openly gay and Neasa Ní Chianáin first met Mr. Ó Searcaigh as a ; he was a decade older, and in her voice-over narration, she describes at some length the influence he cast over and the awe in which he was held by herself and her circle. They remained friends through adulthood, so when Mr. Ó Searcaigh suggested Ms. Ní Chianáin accompany him on his annual summer trip to Nepal for a film, she accepted. No doubt she also received a fat funding subsidy for working in the Irish language.
What happened on that trip is the subject of this film. O Searcaign had two men working with him to procure the boys (He has been funding the men's families and businesses). We are all well aware that with younger boys and paying them is nothing new and there are many documents that show this. What is so interesting here is that the director is unable to understand this and we especially see how she felt by her use of the word "fairytale" in the title. Others will agree with her approach which, in effect, damns her hero by outing him.
This is an extremely emotional film and I believe that everyone who sees it will be moved by it either positively or negatively.
I found the film to be a bit depressing because of O Searcaigh's self-delusion-he has no idea that what he does could have disastrous action of those he becomes involved with and he does not see himself using power over the boys. I personally am totally against what he does He seems to be in need of this power in order to feel good about himself and for me this puts all of his beautiful poetry in jeopardy.