Dunzhu’s
impending blindness is not an uncommon phenomenon for painters of traditional
Tibetan Thangkas (works that frequently, but not exclusively, depict sacred
Buddhist figures). Like drummers who
still perform despite developing deafness, they can still perceive and transmit
their art. However, the dwindling ranks
of his peers alarms the old artist, who sets out to find the reincarnation of his
late teacher in Mongolian-born filmmaker Hasi Chaolu’s Thangka, which screens during the 2013 International Buddhist Film Festival Showcase in the Bay Area.
Dunzhu
is a traditionalist, who has no patience for his son Basen’s modern-influenced
Thangkas. As his eyesight steadily
deteriorates, the old man is determined to find a protégé worthy of being his
artistic heir. Clearly, that will not be
Basen, but the dutiful son nonetheless assists his father as he searches for
his reincarnated master, in much the same manner as Tibetan Buddhist monks
seeking reincarnated scholars.
Their
quest bears fruit surprisingly quickly, but there are complications. While Dunzhu is convinced the armless Gaga is
the one, the nomadic artist’s slacker attitude is disappointing. As the national Thangka exhibition fast
approaches, Dunzhu’s presumed successor struggles with his new role, while
Basen seeks treatment for Gaga’s young sister Zhuoma, who also suffers from progressive
blindness.
Shot
on location in Tibet, Thangka features
some striking vistas and cherry picks some of the more cinematic architectural
backdrops in Lhasa (in marked contrast to Pema Tseden’s Old Dog). Not surprisingly
though, Hasi is rather vague about why Tibetan cultural practices like Thangka
painting are disappearing, casting it largely in terms of modernity conflicting
with tradition. The presence of an
occupying power is completely ignored. Still,
it all looks great through cinematographer Wang Gu’s lens.
While
many supporting characters are messily shoehorned into Thangka, the unexpected connections between the two families work quite
well in dramatic context, rather than feeling forced. As Dunzhu, Luo Sang’s Zen-like gravitas
perfectly anchors the film. Pubu Ciren’s
Basen is also sufficiently earnest and long-suffering in a sympathetic way. Recording artist Suolang Wangmu (born into
similar circumstances as her character) adds a bit of celebrity, as well as
credibility for Tibetan audiences as Gaga’s grown sister, Baima.
