Review: Unmistaken Child (2008)

[Mark R. Leeper]

                        UNMISTAKEN CHILD
                (a film review by Mark R. Leeper)

     CAPSULE: : With a minimum of explanation or
     narration writer/director Nati Baratz follows
     the process of the search for and verification
     of the very young reincarnation of a recently
     deceased Buddhist Lama.  The process began in
     2001 and took four years from toddler to teacher.
     The film takes us to see the method of choosing
     a candidate and the process of verifying that
     the "right" child has been chosen.  Along the way
     the documentary silently invites either belief or
     skepticism.  Rating: low +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10

Israeli filmmaker Nati Baratz takes us to Nepal to document as it
happens the intriguing true story of the search for the
reincarnation of a great Buddhist teacher.  UNMISTAKEN CHILD looks
at the faith of Nepalese Buddhists and their process for choosing a
successor to a beloved lama, recently deceased.  The chosen child
must be less than eighteen months old and yet show signs of being
the reincarnation of the lama.

Master Lama Konchog died in 2001.  To those who believed in the
lama death is not the end of their relationship with him.  It is
only an interruption.  There is no doubt in their minds that
Konchog's spirit has chosen the body of a very young boy, twelve to
eighteen months old, has filled him with his soul, and is
continuing his great work in the body of the boy.  They have, they
believe, only to find the young reincarnation and restore him to
his position of honor.  But how can they find the boy who does not
himself know his great cosmic purpose?  A monk is chosen by the
Dalai Lama to go on this seemingly impossible quest.  Chosen is
Tenpin Zopa, a self-effacing and withdrawn student of Konchog.
Tenzin is given the guidance of his dreams and some astrological
readings to help him narrow his search for the boy.

In Nepal the modern world sits side-by-side with a life-style and
tradition centuries old.  Tenzin wears the ubiquitous Buddhist red
and gold robes when he is not wearing a T-shirt bearing the
mystical inscription "Nike".  Tenzin lives in a modest monk's room
with a small cabinet that opens to reveal a small television set.
His quest will be made on foot or by mule, except for the parts
where he is taxied by helicopter.  And of course on his mission he
is accompanied by a documentary film crew of undisclosed size.

Photography by Yaron Orbach shows us the aloof beauty of the rocky
and misty mountains of Nepal.  We also see the hard realities of
Nepalese mountain village life.  The pacing of the film is
frequently slow and requires some small part of the patience show
by the people of the mountain villages.

As most of Baratz's audience is probably not Buddhist, the film
suggests the viewer see the proceedings in two ways, as a believer
might and as an unbeliever might.  This makes it really two films.
The believing half will see miraculous verification in the film
that indeed the boy chosen is correct and the process has worked.
To the non-believing half the ways of Buddhism will seem quaint.
He may question the taking of so young a child from his family and
village and told that he must become a monk.  I rate UNMISTAKEN
CHILD a low +2 on the -4 to +4 scale or 7/10.

There are questions that really went unanswered during the
narrative.  How does the family of the chosen boy really feel about
having their child taken from home at such a young age to become a
lama?  Perhaps a related question: How does having a film crew
present affect Tenzin, how does it affect the chosen child, and how
does it affect the boy's family?  If the family objected, would
they have felt they could have protested in front of the camera?

This film has been playing at film festivals including the Toronto
International Film Festival and will have a limited release in the
United States beginning June 4, 2009.

Film Credits: <http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1286798>

What others are saying:
<http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/unmistaken_child>


					Mark R. Leeper
					mleeper at optonline.net
					Copyright 2009 Mark R. Leeper