Starting the Oscar countdown, a look at "Unmistaken Child"

November 7, 11:02 PMDallas Indie Movie ExaminerRachel Reis

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"Unmistaken Child"
Oscilloscope Films

With the announcement of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin as hosts for the 82nd Academy Awards, it seemed to be a proper time to begin looking back at the best films of the past months. So for the next couple of weeks, I will be taking another look at what has come out at the Angelikas and Magnolia that has a strong chance of being nominated for an Oscar in any of the various categories: directing, supporting and leading roles, documentary features, and foreign features.

Dissenting opinion is not only welcomed, it is strongly encouraged. For example, if you disagree with my review of Unmistaken Child, please let me know. I really do read all my comments and appreciate each one, regardless of whether it is criticism or a compliment. My only suggestion is that the comments stick to the genre at hand. For example, if you have not seen Unmistaken Child but saw another documentary that you thought was excellent and might be Oscar-worthy, post it! I'll try to post a review at a later date and thus open the movie more widely for debate. I will try to look at as many different types of movies as possible.

Also, according to the comments I receive about the films I post (plus any comments to look at any unmentioned films), I will try to form a ranking before March 7th, 2010 of the top five or so films of the season. This is an experiment so try to bear with me. I do not how this will turn out but I want my page to become more than just my opinion-I hope this can become a forum for discussion. So, here goes.

A possible contender in the Best Documentary Feature category is Unmistaken Child, the chronicle of Nepalese Buddhist monk Tenzin Zopa's search for the reincarnation of his master Lama Kochong. Tasked with something he is overwhelmed by and fears messing up, Zopa goes on an arduous quest over rocky Nepalese terrain to various villages, including his own birthplace. Through astrology, all Tenzin knows is possible place were the boy was born and that the boy's father's name begins with an "A". If ever there was a definition of a daunting task, this would hit the mark perfectly.

Hearing Tenzin speak about being ordinary, about not being a Buddha yet, one cannot help but sympathize with his pain. One does not have to be a Buddhist to realize that the task at hand is extraordinary and could have enormous repercussions. For all of his life, Tenzin said, Lama Kochong had planned everything for him. Now Tenzin has to turn from a follower to a leader while he still grieves the lost of his master.

There is a general lack of explanation of the ancient rituals that are so evidently a part of Buddhism. For Western audiences, this might be a source of consternation. The only thing I know about Buddhism is what I have learned in my world history survey classes. Robert Ebert remarked that filmmaker Nati Baratz "accepts everything in the account at face value".  For awhile, I agreed with him. But as I thought about this film more and more, I realized that education was not the main aim of this documentary. Tenzin's story had to be the focus of the documentary because anything less than that would be a diservice. So Baratz is defintely aiming for audiences with some understanding of Buddhism but it is not completely vital in order to enjoy this film.