Seven Years in Tiet is an intriguing film with many aspects of Tibetan culture intertwined into the plot. It tells the amazing true story of an Austrian climber named Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt) that gets stuck in the area of Tibet while climbing the Himalayas, because of the start of World War II. He is captured by British soldiers on his trek down off of the mountain after a failed attempt to climb it, and is trapped in a British prison camp for two years at the beginning of the war. However, after many failed attempts, he escapes from the prison camp, and tries to make it on his own in the wild. Eventually, he makes it to Tibet with another Austrian named Peter Aufschnaiter (David Thewlis) whom he travels with throughout the movie. In Tibet, they are not popular figures at first, and face many hardships from the people there. Citizens who see them clap in their direction, trying to drive the evils of them away, and they are called devils by many people. At this time, foreigners were not allowed into Tibet, and so after a few days, the unwelcome Austrians are kicked out. Eventually, however, they find their way back to Tibet, and even reach Lhasa, where they are protected from exile by some local Tibetans.
When they get to Lhasa, the movie shows different parts of Tibetan culture, including prayer ceremonies, and the clear Chinese influence over the land. While they are there, the then young 14th Dalai Lama takes some interest in Heinrich, and invites him to a meeting. The Dalai Lama calls Heinrich because he wants him to build a movie theatre near his palace, and while that is taking place, Heinrich teaches him all about the world outside of Tibet. They end up developing a close relationship, and the Dalai Lama even becomes a son-like figure for Heinrich, who abandoned his son in Austria. At this time, everything in the story is going well, until Chinese troops begin to approach Tibet. Because of this, Heinrich must help the Tibetans try to create an army, a very difficult task given their resources. Heinrich describes it as “a peace loving nation vainly attempting to create a military”, while also openly shaming the Chinese for disrupting such a peaceful nation. T
hree Chinese generals fly into Tibet for a meeting with the Dalai Lama, and they agree to remain peaceful, as long as China can become the political master of Tibet. This does not end up working out, however, and the Chinese beat the Tibetans easily in battle. So, China ends up in charge of the area, imposing harsh regulations onto Tibet. At the end of the movie, Heinrich says an emotional goodbye to the Dalai Lama, and leaves Tibet to return to Austria.
Overall, I would rate this movie highly on an educational and historical level, as it shows much about the region of Tibet. The movie gives a good feel of the tension in the area during this time period between the Chinese and Tibetans, and the chaos that broke out when the Chinese came to Tibet to gain power over the region. However, the film also focuses on many cultural aspects within the region, from attire, to prayer ceremonies, to religious art and music. This gives the viewer context into some of what makes Tibet such a unique and interesting place, and makes the movie entertaining as a whole. Thus, I would recommend this movie to anyone trying to see more about the culture of Tibet in an artistic setting, or anyone who is interested in learning about some recent Tibetan history.