AAIFF ’16: 1000 Hands of the Guru

Some royals crafted humanitarian images for themselves simply by attending a few charitable cocktail parties and looking good in Versace. Her Royal Highness Princess Ashi Kesang Choden T. Wangchuck of Bhutan is different. The scholar and devout Buddhist practitioner works directly with monks and art restoration experts preserving her nation’s heritage as the executive director of the Thangke Conservation Center. It is a real job she is well qualified for, but it does not leave her any time for preening PR campaigns. Fortunately, the efforts of the Princess and her colleague and teacher, Ephraim “Eddie” Jose are documented in Tobias Reeuwijk’s 1000 Hands of the Guru (trailer here), which screens during the 2016 Asian American International Film Festival in New York.

In past centuries, thangkas were essentially portable altars. They are sacred, but they are intended to be used rather than filed away. Over time, they absorb wisdom and holiness as the focus of meditation and rituals. They can never be disposed of like common detritus, but they become faded and threadbare. With the support of Bhutan’s royal family, Jose developed a systematized restoration regimen. At first, the monks did not get it, but the results were a revelation.

Beyond her royal status, the Princess Ashi Kesang was also western educated and tutored in Buddhist teachings by some of Bhutan’s most revered monks, making her a perfect choice to lead the Center. Frankly, she and the charismatic Jose should be a publicist’s dream, but the Buddhist nation is apparently a bit outside People Magazine’s beat.

In fact, the thoughtful and camera-friendly duo directly elevate the straightforward documentary. Despite capturing some striking images, Reeuwijk’s approach is largely reportorial, with maybe a pinch of advocacy thrown in. However, Princess Ashi Kesang’s narration lucidly (and compellingly) explains the higher spiritual principles informing the Center’s work. She might even help viewers prepare for death.

It is just nice to know the Thangke Conservation Center exists in our world—albeit in a distant corner. Reeuwijk addresses the pressures of globalization and modernization that challenge Bhutan’s traditional way of life, but there still seems be a considerable place for contemplation and faith in the Himalayan nation. Smart and sensitive to its subjects and surroundings, the sixty-five minute 1000 Hands of the Guru is educational in a relaxed, easy-going way. Highly recommended for those who care about the preservation of art and culture, it screens this Friday (7/22) at the Village East, as part of this year’s AAIFF.

IBFF Showcase ’13 (SF Bay Area): Thangka

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.

Addressing themes of art, family, compassion, and of course Buddhism, Thangka champions what might be called traditional Tibetan values, which is refreshing in any film.  It is also surprisingly uplifting.  Yet, the problem of Tibet’s atrophying culture it insufficiently diagnoses remains a very real concern.  Regardless, Thangka will hook in most viewers with its sincerity, particularly those with an interest in Tibetan art and Buddhism, when it screens tomorrow night (3/3) at the Smith Rafael Center, as a selection of the IBFF Bay Area Showcase.