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August was a documentary bike ride to Lhasa, Tibet taken and directed by Zhang Zhe Han. The short film was part scenic trip and part journal revelations.
After being publicly canceled in August of 2021 and dragged through the mud by netizens, Zhang was afraid to leave his house and be seen in public. (Having read the complaints, it seemed like the punishment did not fit the crime at least from this outsider’s perspective.) Music helped restore the embattled actor and he found new ways to express himself, find work, and begin healing his wounds. This documentary was one of the ways he let people know that words can hurt and that he was choosing to focus on the positive.
There were times the set-ups felt overly staged as he played with children, helped a restaurant owner cook and serve, learned from river raft guides about their business and relationship, or interviewed a Tibetan musician. Having said that, I enjoyed the bits and his chats with the different people who opened their lives to him. The scenery, as expected, was stunning. Mountain vistas, glaciers, rivers, green fields with nomadic herds, all were soothing as Zhang experienced them.
If you are a Zhang Zhe Han fan, I could highly recommend “August” as he bared his heart and discussed his life without going into the “scandal” that nearly broke him. If you don’t know who he is, the documentary is still a sweet ride through the Tibetan mountains with brief glimpses into the people who live and work there.
4 May 2026
After being publicly canceled in August of 2021 and dragged through the mud by netizens, Zhang was afraid to leave his house and be seen in public. (Having read the complaints, it seemed like the punishment did not fit the crime at least from this outsider’s perspective.) Music helped restore the embattled actor and he found new ways to express himself, find work, and begin healing his wounds. This documentary was one of the ways he let people know that words can hurt and that he was choosing to focus on the positive.
There were times the set-ups felt overly staged as he played with children, helped a restaurant owner cook and serve, learned from river raft guides about their business and relationship, or interviewed a Tibetan musician. Having said that, I enjoyed the bits and his chats with the different people who opened their lives to him. The scenery, as expected, was stunning. Mountain vistas, glaciers, rivers, green fields with nomadic herds, all were soothing as Zhang experienced them.
If you are a Zhang Zhe Han fan, I could highly recommend “August” as he bared his heart and discussed his life without going into the “scandal” that nearly broke him. If you don’t know who he is, the documentary is still a sweet ride through the Tibetan mountains with brief glimpses into the people who live and work there.
4 May 2026
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