Review of Little Buddha (1993) by Cotrina R — 20 Mar 2012

Little Buddha, an extraordinary film. Bertolluci, really tries for a spiritual component that doesn't seem phony, contrived or spiritual materialist. He allows us to welcome Eastern religions into the Western mainstream of our faith and thoughts. Some scenes are mind-blowing and having the eye candy of Chris Isaak and Keanu Reeves kept me wanting to see more. The sweet and genuine Bridget Fonda played the mother of a boy (Jesse) who is believed by Lama Norbu and other monks that Lama Dorje has reincarnated himself within him. When I read that Keanu Reeves was playing Buddha, I did have some negative feeling about the fact that he is a white actor playing a Buddhist role, who doesn't remotely look Indian. How insulting to have a full Indie cast when telling Buddha's story of enlightenment! After being captivated by the colors, the mystical sounds, and the warmth feeling of the movie, those feeling ceased. I found him completely believable as Siddhartha Gautama. The acting may not be Oscar worthy but the movie communicates its subject matter in a way that many people can relate to and was portrayed just simple enough for Americans to understand.

The purpose of the Tibetan Monks from Bhutan popping into the Americanâ(TM)s lives was to evaluate the couple's only child as a candidate for one of Buddhism's primary beliefs, reincarnation. The story of Buddha is presented to you through the "eyes" of a child's book presented to the American child to help him understand the belief system. It also helps you keep the intertwining story lines straight. The cinematographer in a warm colored light portrays the part of the story about Buddha, whereas the struggles of the American family to come to grips with all of this are presented in cool tones. I love the way the movie tells two stories at once with the right balance between a real life storyline intertwined with an abbreviated story of Buddha, which was actually enough in this case.

When I first saw it I did not know what to expect at all. It is a wonderful thing to see the life of the Buddha being told especially if you haven't seen it before and the monks were funny. The benefit of portraying religious stories in secular films is to teach the non-Buddhist about the religion in a simplistic form and in an entertaining way. For an example, the lama explained reincarnation; âtea is still tea even after the cup breaks, implicating the mind (tea) still exists after the body (cup) decays away.â? It is close to the same way I explained about the existence of God. If you pour salt into a glass of water you know the salt is there but can not see it. The breaking of the cup got my attention. Another line that stuck out to me; âThere is no salvation without compassion for every other Beingâ?. I really believe in that and love that Bertolluci included this line in the movie because it shows us the beauty and compassion of their religion, which other religions should be conscious of this. If anyone say this is an awful it is because they are not spiritually mature and it isnâ(TM)t for them. Bottom line, Little Buddha gives a touching peak into one of the world's great belief systems without any attempt to preach to you. I highly recommend anyone to see this movie.