After co-directing the documentary film Nargis:When Time Stopped Breathing, which chronicled the disastrous impact of cyclone Nargis after it hit Myanmar and caused about 140,000 deaths, director The Maw Naing was able to get support of his alma mater, the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, to produce his debut film, The Monk. In this film, a young boy, Zawana, enters a very strict monastery and is trained to walk the path of a monk. However, being young with a curious mind, he develops doubts and a longing for the secular world. When his fellow trainees start to leave the monastery and their superior falls ill, Zawana comes to a fork in the road, where he must choose which path he will take. Preferring documentary style films based on realistic issues, director The Maw Naing creates a universal piece with elaborately structured characters and intricate plotting dealing with values, desires, and choices made in life. (PARK Jinhee)