ONE thing you probably would have bet against at the beginning of the year would have been the idea of a group of Tibetan monks making a film about football. You would have lost the bet, however, because director Khyentse Norbu, himself a Tibetan monk has done just that.

The film created a real buzz at its first showing in Cannes in May. In terms of the story, a group of Tibetan monks live devoutly in a far-off village miles from anywhere but some of the monks escape at night to watch the World Cup football in a village over yonder. As the final approaches, one young monk seizes upon the idea of renting a TV for the night. To make it happen, he must raise funds, persuade all the other monks that it is a good idea and finally require surety for the TV rental (another monk's locket - a sentimentally vital possession).

It's quite an engaging film - made commendably by the monks themselves - and although footie lovers will no doubt have great sympathy for the monks' plight, non devotees of the "beautiful game" might feel it a pity that we get few other insights into monastic life in Tibet, beyond occasional views of work around the monastery. As a result there's no real depth to a film that concentrates purely on its Cup Final. You're left with that nagging feeling that it could have gone further.