Tulku (2009) User Reviews

Culture clash of the highest order

[angelofvic · 10/10 · 22 May 2010]

OK, so you're a normal American (or Canadian, British, Dutch, etc.) kid, and then all of a sudden when you are a still a small child you are told you are the reincarnation of an enlightened Buddhist master.

What do you do?

More importantly, what do you when you become a teenager, and then when you are of college age, and then when you get to be of wage-earning and child-rearing age?

Sound confusing? It is. This documentary follows five such culturally confused Western-born "tulkus," and examines what each has experienced and how each has handled their own personal life journey -- whether buying in big-time to the Tibetan Buddhist thought system and practice, or less so, or not at all.

This documentary has a particular stamp of realism, expertise, and sincerity, because it is written and made by one of these culturally "misplaced" children -- a Tibetan Buddhist master who apparently reincarnated in the West.

Really an excellent find, and a unique, thought-provoking film.

The DVD is now available on Amazon.com, and also includes 60 minutes of fascinating additional interviews.

Not a very good movie

[thenadeaujonathan · 1/10 · 28 December 2011]

I think that this movie is quite boring.This is very slow and nothing interesting happens. You may say that it isn't supposed to be an action movie but I would answer that a documentary does need a little substance to keep us interested and this movie failed in that regard. If you watch this you will hear long discussions between young pampered American guys about the suffering of being a tulku (which they are supposed to be)and you will have the feeling that the goal of all that is to show you how interesting and special they are. The short interviews with Dzongsar Rinpoche,the famous film maker Tibetan lama that made the critically acclaimed film The Cup,are quite interesting,in fact maybe the only interesting part in the movie,but unfortunately this part is quite short and you can see most of it in the trailer.