Review of Kundun (1997) by Amanda H — 05 Mar 2011

Kundun.

In Tibet, a two year old child is found and identified as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. The young boy was visited by monks and given tests to see if he was the real incarnate. The boy passed all of the tests by identifying the things that actually belonged to Dalai Lama. He stated that the items were "mine". That caused the monks to be very pleased and the monks arranged for him to be taken to learn what needed to be learned. He was educated everyday to become the 14th Dalai Lama. But before he could take on the responsibilities, China invaded Tibet. China wanted Tibet to be up to par with them. They needed to be liberalized.

The Dalai Lama was talked into fleeing from Tibet so that nothing would happen to him, and he agreed, however he then chose not to leave his people. In the beginning the Dalai Lama tried to cooperate with the Chinese government, however this did not work. He then began writing other countries for help but that did not work.

Later on after all attempts were exhausted, the Dalai Lama had to flee from Tibet so he would not be murdered.

This movie was an excellent depiction of the way Buddhists believe and the way of the Dalai Lama. This film showed the true beliefs and that they are completely equal with everyone. The purpose of Buddhism is to serve and benefit all sentient beings, including human beings. This film helped show all of that. Teachings of love, kindness and tolerance, the conduct of non-violence, and especially the Buddhist theory that all things are relative are a source of that inner peace. The Dalai Lama was depicted in the correct way, shedding light on the actual beliefs and the ways as well.