What a curious film. Can you imagine being told that you were the reincarnation of someone who lived half way around the world? And because of that you now have an obligation to pick up where he left off (leading people to spiritual peace). That’s Yeshi’s predicament. His oft-absent father is bound to that exact same scenario, while Yeshi just wants to be a normal man with a normal family. The amount of access into the lives of these two men over two decades gives the film an amazing depth. Whereas more and more docs these days are becoming propaganda pieces, it’s such a pleasure to view a production in which the filmmaker does a great job of getting out of the way and letting the story tell itself.

In fact, since the director is so “not in the film,” it’s only fair to include her comments here (from the press notes).

It’s a universal, classic father-son story about a father who wants to save his traditional culture and history by passing them onto his son … who wants nothing more than to be modern. I met Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche in 1985 when I was 25 years old and began studying Tibetan Buddhism and Dzogchen. At age 28, I took a much needed hiatus from filmmaking to travel with him on and off for four years as his secretary. During that time, I began to film his everyday life -- his family, his teaching, and his travels from an insider’s perspective. … Rinpoche never wanted people to make a false hierarchy. He never wanted people to construct a fantasy of what is a Teacher. So in the film he allowed the camera close to show his real person, warts and all, and the real way a teacher works with students to help them evolve and awaken. He allowed us to film him even when sick in the hospital or facing real problems with students. This is not a “Fluff piece,” as we say in American. The film shows how hard it is to be a teacher, transmitting this enormous lineage to the West. By letting us into their ordinary lives you get to see the normal problems they face as father and son. They are struggling with the same issues fathers and sons (and all parents and children) struggle with everywhere.

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --