AllMovie

Cathal O Searcaigh is a celebrated Irish poet who writes in Gaelic and has been hailed as one of the finest authors in the Irish language for his eloquent verse on the land of his birth as well as the pain and solace of love. O Searcaigh was also openly gay in Ireland at a time when it was uncommon and even dangerous to acknowledge an alternative lifestyle. O Searcaigh divides his time between Ireland and Nepal, calling the latter nation his "spiritual home," and he's well known there for his philanthropy, helping a number of young men pursue an education they ordinarily couldn't afford. Filmmaker Neasa Ni Chianain is a passionate fan of O Searcaigh's work and traveled to Nepal to make a documentary about his life, his writing and his charitable work. But as Ni Chianain and her crew interviewed O Searcaigh at length and followed him with the students he had sponsored, they became aware of rumors circulating in Kathmandu about the nature of his relationship with some of the young men, and Ni Chianain found herself forced to confront her literary hero about allegations of romantic and sexual relationships with some of the teenagers he'd befriended. Fairytale of Kathmandu is the product of Ni Chianain's investigation, and an examination of the sometimes troubling divide between an artist and their art.