| << Just playing | 2005 > February | IBFF, 12-13 Feb. >> |
Friday, 11 February 2005
IBFF, 4 Feb. ::
Saw more films in the 2nd International Buddhist Film Festival last Friday night.
Beyond the Mountain is a “striking story set in an idyllic Buddhist hermitage and a nearby convent nestled deep in the Korean mountains.” The plot might be an age-old one, but I found myself loving the characters, all perfectly acted.
I Heart Huckabees Infomercial features Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin as their characters from the David O. Russell film, with a Tibetan scholar and a physicist as themselves, discussing the essential unity of science, religion, and well, everything. Having seen the movie, I found this short especially fascinating and enjoyable.
Words of My Perfect Teacher is an “engaging, personal, and controversial documentary about the strange and often comical relationship between a student and her teacher Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.” The director and the other two students often look ridiculous in their devotion to their teacher, but I think they’re laughing at themselves while they invite the laughter of the audience. There is something inherently absurd about seeking some form of enlightenment from another person, as if it might rub off if we just follow them around for long enough. The teacher sometimes ignores this dynamic while going about his business, and other times faces it directly and adds to the humor. Another thing that’s funny is that, despite the title of the film, the teacher doesn’t actually say a whole lot—though there are several moments where he speaks directly and wisely about the human condition. I saw similarities with the other Buddhist teachers I know; they all have qualities of fearlessness, absolute unflappability, compassion, and effortless adaptation to new people and situations. Perhaps the funniest and most surprising thing about the film is that, in the end, maybe a little of that enlightenment does rub off.
| << Just playing | 2005 > February | IBFF, 12-13 Feb. >> |