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Dir. Nati Baratz

Rating: 6.4  |  0 User Reviews  |  Send to Friend

By Kayla Murphy

The scenic backdrop and sprawling visuals of the Himalayan Mountains set the tone for this documentary that does more than simply chronicle the secluded lives of Tibetan Buddhist monks. Director Nati Baratz takes viewers on a trip of personal discovery and an in-depth look of yet another way that humans deal with death and dying. The film introduces us to Tenzin Zapa, a Buddhist monk who gave up familial life and rejected tending fields to study under his master, Geshe La. However, after the death of Geshe La, Tenzin is left feeling completely and utterly alone, and at the age of 28 he must learn how to make it on his own. Under the instruction of the Dali Lama, Tenzin is told to go to the Tsum Valley and locate the child into whom his master has chosen to be reincarnated.  As Tenzin scours the impoverished villages of the Himalayas to find the “inner quality” that would lead him to his master, we see his vulnerable side and the overwhelming feeling of loss that one suffers upon losing a loved one. The most personal moment of the film comes when Tenzin visits his masters’ old retreat, now dilapidated to the point of moving Tenzin to tears as he struggles to mend holes in the old wooden floors. The pace of the film is slow but smooth, following gentle Tenzin as he finally finds the child that he feels is the reincarnate for which he was searching. Interestingly, the film is less about Tibetan Buddhism and more geared towards loss and the never-ending search for answers about the after-life. Director Baratz employs a lot of handheld camera footage -- climbing amongst the mountains, he had little choice -- but the shakiness actually provides a more intimate experience, giving Westerners a glimpse into villages that for all intents and purposes could be set in the fifteenth century. As Tenzin finds the child that resembles his master, he also finds a new purpose and strength in his life that he lacked in the beginning. The bond between the remarkable child and Tenzin is memorable, as is DP Yaron Orbach's beautiful cinematography and the original score by Cyril Martin.

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