Kundun

Kundun is an amazing movie about the circumstances surrounding the choosing of the 14^th Dalai Lama, and the story of his life. Directed by renowned director Martin Scorsese, the true story of the film begins in 1937 with monks who are on a mission in search of the 13^th Dalai Lama’s reborn spirit. The 13^th Dalai Lama died three years before this search, when the current Reting Rinpoche, or regent of Tibet, has a vision about the next Dalai Lama. The ensuing search eventually leads to a small village in Tibet, where the two-year old 14^th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Yeshi Paichang) is found. The child is tested to see if he is really an incarnation of the Dalai Lama, and has to choose which of various objects that the monks possess are his. He passes this test with flying colors, and spends the next few years being taught by the monks, until he can be ready to leave with them back to Lhasa. The film is shot in episodes rather than scenes, and a large amount of time passes in between each episode.

The second portion is the Dalai Lama’s journey to Lhasa and his arrival as the spiritual leader of Tibet, in which he faces many challenges. The now five-year old Dalai Lama (Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin) is scared of all of the attention he faces and the pressure put on him, and feels very homesick as a result. However, he is comforted by the monks, specifically about their story of the first Dalai Lama, who they call Kundun. Once they reach Tibet, all is better, as he is enjoying his life as a child in an amazing land, living a comfortable life. However, in the next part of the movie, there is much turmoil in the Dalai Lama’s life, and he faces many challenges.

The viewer finds themselves right in the middle of China’s invasion of Tibet next, where the now twelve-year old Dalai Lama (Gyurme Tethong) faces an interesting dilemma. He must defend his homeland and the people he has been tasked with protecting, while keeping the Buddhist ideals of nonviolence. The Dalai Lama therefore has an intriguing inner conflict during this part of the film, and must choose whether or not to uphold his religious values in order to put his people at risk. He also meets with the leader of China at the time, Chairman Mao, to discuss their conflict. During their meeting, the intimidating figure of Chairman Mao tells the young Dalai Lama that “religion is poison”. Once he returns from this meeting, there is an agreement in place that never ends up being fully followed, as the Chinese still plan to kill him. His family and colleagues then convince him to flee to India, where he stays for the rest of the movie. This interestingly displays the difficult decisions that the real 14^th Dalai Lama had to face during this time period, where tensions with China were never higher.

Lastly, the adult Dalai Lama (Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong) finds himself on a treacherous journey through the rough terrain of Tibet, moving towards India. He faces many hardships during this trek, and even gets very ill during it. He has visions about the past and the future during this time, but eventually makes it to the Indian border, where he is finally at ease. The movie concludes with him reaching his residence and safe haven. Lastly, these crucial final lines appear on screen: “The Dalai Lama has not yet returned to Tibet. He hopes one day to make the journey”. This displays how much the Dalai Lama has had to deal with his entire lifetime, while staying devout and open-minded. Overall, this movie shows a plethora of Tibetan culture throughout, with rituals, prayer, and many of the historical events that transpired in Tibet during the mid 20^th century, but that are not yet resolved, as the Dalai Lama has still not returned to Tibet. I think that Kundun tells the story of the 14^th Dalai Lama amazingly, with a well-articulated plot and great acting to do the extraordinary story justice. Thus, I would recommend this movie to anyone looking to discover more about Tibetan culture as a whole, or to someone who is interested in Tibetan history. However, I think it would be an entertaining movie for anyone, as it accurately tells the astonishing true story of the journey that the 14^th Dalai Lama has undergone throughout his lifetime