It
is bad enough that the Chinese Communist Party interferes with the free
practice of religion in Tibet. Maddingly, they are also complicating the
reincarnation of a revered Rinpoche. The nine-year-old boy born Padma Angdu was
determined to be the reincarnation of a revered teacher. The problem is, he
lives in the northern Indian city of Ladakh, but his previous monastery was in
Kham, Tibet. Of course, China tightly controls access to the occupied nation.
The young Rinpoche would live a freer life in India, but he has karmic business
in Tibet. That dilemma will preoccupy the boy and his godfather in Moon
Chang-yong & Jeon Jin’s documentary, Becoming
Who I Was (trailer
here),
which screens as part of the 2017 Seattle International Film Festival.
In
many ways, Angdu (as he was once known and sort of still is to some) is a
normal boy, who would like to be bigger and better at sports than he is.
However, he understands he has a special place in the universe. In fact, Angdu
claims he still has memories of his life in Kham. Unfortunately, when his
former monastery fails to collect their venerated abbot (whether they even know
of his existence remains unclear), the Ladakh monastery expels Angdu into the
care of his new religious guardian, the devout Urgyan Rickzan, who also happens
to be the only trained doctor in the region. (That seems highly unfair,
considering they were the ones who proclaimed him a Rinpoche in the first place.)
Ultimately,
Rickzan will take Angdu on a physical and spiritual pilgrimage, hoping to cross
the border into Kham. However, weather and geopolitics are stacked against him.
Frankly, even though Angdu will surely have greater educational opportunities
than his peers, it is highly debatable whether his Rinpoche status will make
him happier in the long-run.
Regardless,
the relationship between Angdu and Rickzan is deeply moving. Even when circumstances
are at their worst, they can still make each other laugh, which is indeed the
Tibetan Buddhist way. The terrain might also be treacherous to trudge through,
but is it ever cinematic. Moon and Jeon, acting as their own cinematographers
and cameramen, frame some stunning visuals. Yet, the screen loves Angdu and
Rickzan even more. They are both enormously charismatic and deeply sympathetic
figures.