Tarry not , o cloud

Tarry not, O cloud Sabrina Zhao is a filmmaker and artist from Sichuan, China. Her films, driven by process, explore the harmony between nature and being through an abstract, non-narrative style. She studied Film and Literature at NYU Abu Dhabi and holds an MFA in Film from York University. Her films have been exhibited internationally at Berlinale, MoMA Doc Fortnight, Sharjah Film Platform. Tarry not, O cloud is a feature length experimental film inspired by Kalidasa’s Sanskrit poem Meghaduta (The Cloud Messenger, 4th - 5th century CE) and Rick Jarow’s final publication, his study of the poem. Kālidāsa’s Meghadūta (The Cloud Messenger) is one of the most celebrated works of classical Sanskrit literature, renowned for its lyrical beauty, emotional subtlety, and vivid geographic imagination. The poem is divided into two sections: 1. Pūrva-megha (First Part): A lovesick yakṣa, cursed to live in exile for a year, encounters a rain cloud over the Vindhya mountains. He implores the cloud to carry a message to his wife in Alakā (the celestial city of Kubera, in the Himalayas). This section meticulously describes the cloud’s journey across the Indian subcontinent. 2. Uttara-megha (Second Part): The message itself, addressed to the yakṣa’s wife, expressing longing, fidelity, and hope, culminating in an intimate portrayal of separation (viraha). Banished far from the one he desires, a delirious lover entrusts a passing cloud to deliver a message. The lover imagines the cloud’s journey across terrains, bodies, and shifting seasons. The cloud messenger does not travel directly, but drifts into diversions, where the route widens and feeling expands. Soundtrack by Roberto Musci & Estelle Schorpp https://ruobingzhao.com/tarry-not-o-cloud https://estelle-schorpp.com/ https://sites.google.com/view/robertomusci