Pan Nalin’s Buddhist film Samsara clears up the overly sweet, exotic and somehow absurd way in which Hollywood usually depicts the monasteries of the Himalayas Daniel Sendrós

Daniel Sendrós

 

None of the Hollywood absurdity Buenos Aires – Despite Eastern movies are having a certain success nowadays in the western world, and that we occasionally see samples of different cultures and spots of interest, the truth is that very few among these show a religious glance, or attend to matters related to religion. It may be that local distributors or programmers are not interested in the subject, and it can also be that there aren’t many films clearly interesting for those of us film-lovers who got in touch with Buddhism through The Burmese Harp. It seems that there is no more room for this level of spirituality. Instead, and as compensation, fortunately in the last years, we have received two good films about the down to earth every day life of Buddhist monks: Nepalese The Cup, and one that is being released now, Hindu Samsara (India, France, Italy, Germany, 2001). Besides, both films help to clear up the overly sweet, exotic and somehow absurd way in which Hollywood usually depicts the monasteries of the Himalayas, since Lost Horizons (which was at least a good film) onwards. The cup was a comedy about the attraction that the 2002 World Soccer Cup arose even among the lamas, one of which wore a Ronaldo T-shirt under his clothing. The whole conflict was about the installation of satellite dish in the monastery in order to see the matches. A conflict which obviously brought about other conflicts, such as the contemplative or participative life, integration to the world or absolute isolation… And one could not but think of our own seminarists or priests among us, living similar situations, with a little more comfort, of course. Pardon the digression, but all of a sudden I have suddenly recalled a childhood memory in Entre Ríos (Argentina): stout father Porporatto, his cassock rolled up, challenging the worst kids in the neighbourhood: If they lost, they had to go to church on Sunday attend the Domingo Savio Club. And he beat them! Back to Buddhist films. The one that has been just released does not have these charms, but it also makes one think of our own clergymen, but in a different way, and it can well be a good reason for reflection. To start with, the title must be explained. Apparently, the Buddhist word samsara is the opposite of nirvana. According to scholars, it would be the “state of non-illumination in which we live. Mundane existence.” It is formed by the word ‘sara’ (to go, follow, wander) and the prefix ‘sam’ (close to, with, on the whole), and if refers to a continuous round of transmigrations: being born, dying, to be reborn, changing… In this case, in a calm and peaceful manner, the quietness and stability of monastic life is compared with the alterations of secular life, but particularly with the natural youthful desires of a priest who is bewildered between the divine commandments and the commandments of the flesh, especially when, during the visit of a beatified girl, he finds a girl with beautiful eyes who stares at him and smiles kindly. Voluntary seclusion in a lonely hermitage does not help him much (that’s where we first see him at the beginning of the film), nor the peaceful life of the cloisters, nor the visit of an old hermit who makes him see things in a special way, through some obscene prints (it seems incredible). The old lama does not speak, he does not need words, and the scene itself, which is very good, leaves everybody speechless. Because when these prints are seen against the light remembers the young man how fleeting the skin is, the presence of decadence and death. Just in case, and so that occidentals and the poor youngster can understand what will happen, this is all completed with a written print. There is not much to be seen of the rest, the people are pretty quiet, but what they say remains. For example, the driver’s warning: “do not accept all my teachings before you can understand them from your own point of view”, or the young man’s wit when he is searching certain knowledge: “there are some things we must have so that we can relinquish them”; and towards the end, the way in which the woman in this story questions the old tale of prince Siddhartha, who abandoned his wife and child in order to meditate and become Buddha. From her point of view, as a wife and mother, more than praiseworthy she finds this simply selfish. The distress of the children who feel they have been abandoned by their parents (who are left in the monastery when they should barely be going to kindergarten) and the difficulties the young man can find in monastic life (handling money, modernization, very close at hand temptations, etc.) are matters that can also be seen in the story, as well as a couple of sex scenes which -we must make the warning-, seem to come right out of the Kamasutra. The Himalayan landscapes, needless to say, are gorgeous.
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Daniel Sendrós Film critic for Criterio magazine, Buenos Aires, Argentina .