Review of Unmistaken Child (2009) by Sean K — 27 Feb 2010

I don't know how they were able to do this. The access they had was unreal. I had to stop and realize that this was a real documentary and not a narrative film because the filmmakers were so unobtrusive and they went everywhere.

If you've ever had any questions about reincarnation and the way that the Tibetan Lama's are chosen by finding their unmistaken reincarnations, this film will answer them. As my profile states, I'm an Agnostic or more precisely Skeptical Empiricist but this movie definitely left we wondering.

I was watching to see if they were forcing this child into a role and if they were just protecting some edifice of the religion, but there was no guile at all. At one point the child is going to meet the Dalai Lama, I'm thinking - okay, they'll turn off the camera and come out with some big statement after or something.

Nope, they go right in and we see the whole exchange with the Dalai Lama. No hiding or posturing to cover "secrets". Really great. Possibly the best doc of 2009.