Review of Kundun (1997) by Ben L — 10 May 2017

Kundun is about as straightforward a film as you can imagine. It recounts the history of the Dalai Lama from toddler to adulthood. It?s almost like watching a history lesson, but not one with action or big moments, more like literally watching someone lecture in a history class.

The problem is most of the events happen off-camera and are relayed through advisers and confidants. I thought seeing how this child grows up with all these expectations was interesting, and the young actors were all great.

The movie fully embraces the Buddhist belief that this child is Kundun reincarnated, because they have more than a few moments where he proves it. I thought it would have been more interesting if they had sown doubt into the audience, so that we were questioning whether he was actually suited to his position of leadership, but they went the other way.

Therefore, when there is a scene where we see the Dalai Lama questioning whether he?s fit for the position, it feels false or hollow because I?ve been so completely assured he is this person. The history lesson is useful, even if it is drawn out and not all that exciting in the way it was portrayed.

I definitely appreciated what the film was trying to do, and it made me instantly go to the internet in order to do more research on the Dalai Lama, but it is not something I?ll watch again.