Prasant's blog - Filed under 'film'

Unmistaken Child: A moving account of purpose, devotion and reincarnation

This documentary is about a young monk's search for the reincarnation of his master, Geshe Lama Konchong. I have been especially fascinated with this very specific Buddhist tradition ever since watching the Scorsese film "Kundun" in the late 90's. If you haven't seen it, I would encourage you to watch it. It has a score by Philip Glass too.

Back to this documentary. It was humbling to watch the journey of this young monk who basically searched an entire region for this child with almost nothing to go on, and actually found him. I don't think it matters whether you believe in reincarnation or not or if some might try to nitpick details about how the child chose the right objects during the test. It is a picture of real people with real emotions, engaging in their own traditions that have gone on for generations with or without scrutiny from non-believers.

If you can't find this movie at blockbuster, try renting it on Amazon video.

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Goodbye Solo, a beautiful film

Usually, I just post about what I am doing with music, but I thought it would be nice to include some other things as well.

I am in Boston for a concert at the LearnQuest Festival. It went very well, by the way. More on that later.

These days I leave many movies unsatisfied because the production values are so amazing, but I was never drawn in to the story and plot nor cared for the characters. Not the case here.

As a layman in the world of film, I really enjoyed Goodbye Solo. The shots, the tight direction, excellent performances meld with a touching and airtight story that brings you in with every scene. It appears to be slow-moving, and towards the end, I wondered if the film could have been shorter. In retrospect, it was very well crafted, and the actual story moves rather quickly. From the Q&A session, it was apparent that Bahrani is an extremely well-planned, methodical and intellectual filmmaker.

He referred to Hollywood and some mainstream independent films with some detached criticisms, and was careful not to slam them too hard. It somewhat reminded me of the way I refer to certain phenomena in the field of music in public.

I also loved the cultural references that slowly came out through the characters without being overt.

Definitely check out Goodbye Solo when it comes out in your neighborhood. The "spirit of Solo" portrayed by Souleymane Sy Savane as Bahrani mentioned in his talk, is definitely infectious and memorable. He really made the film for me. Here are some things to take you further.

Goodbye Solo on IMDB

Here is a trailer

By the way, I am not referring to a Korean drama by the same name...

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Unmistaken Child: A moving account of purpose, devotion and reincarnation

Goodbye Solo, a beautiful film