Little Buddha
Dela Calzada, Andrea Humanities 3A1/3A2 September 3, 2014
A 90’s film entitled "Little Buddha" starring Keanu Reeves is hardly something that would get me excited. The first time I watched the movie I couldn't even stay awake to pay attention.
But upon downloading the film and watching it on my own time, I was surprisingly interested and entertained by it. That being said, it’s still not one of my favorite movies, but at least I understand the essence of the movie. What I liked most about Little Buddha is that even without romance, violence and amazing special effects; it’s still entertaining in its own right. It is also very enlightening.
The film has two story lines shifting back and forth throughout the movie, the first half being set in modern times. Long story short, several Tibetan monks travel to Seattle in search of a boy. According to their dreams, he is the reincarnation of a Buddhist lama. The boy whom they are searching for is a ten year old named Jesse. The monks befriend Jesse and his parents and try to convince them to let Jesse return to Nepal with them. Jesse's parents are very skeptical. Upon leaving Jesse's home the monks give Jesse a children's book entitled Little Buddha.
My problem with this aspect of the story is that it’s very unrealistic. If I was approached by a Tibetan monk who explained that my 10-year-old child is a reincarnated Buddhist teacher, and if the monk invited my child to Tibet… I would not accept the possibility or the offer. Especially if I wasn’t Buddhist. It doesn’t make that much sense. The movie portrayed that they were skeptical, but in my opinion, the director should have focused more on their thoughts about it. Moving on.
As Jesse and his parents read the book, the other half of the movie unfolds. It tells the story of the Buddha Siddhartha. Siddhartha is sheltered by his father when he is young. He never knows anything
A 90’s film entitled "Little Buddha" starring Keanu Reeves is hardly something that would get me excited. The first time I watched the movie I couldn't even stay awake to pay attention.
But upon downloading the film and watching it on my own time, I was surprisingly interested and entertained by it. That being said, it’s still not one of my favorite movies, but at least I understand the essence of the movie. What I liked most about Little Buddha is that even without romance, violence and amazing special effects; it’s still entertaining in its own right. It is also very enlightening.
The film has two story lines shifting back and forth throughout the movie, the first half being set in modern times. Long story short, several Tibetan monks travel to Seattle in search of a boy. According to their dreams, he is the reincarnation of a Buddhist lama. The boy whom they are searching for is a ten year old named Jesse. The monks befriend Jesse and his parents and try to convince them to let Jesse return to Nepal with them. Jesse's parents are very skeptical. Upon leaving Jesse's home the monks give Jesse a children's book entitled Little Buddha.
My problem with this aspect of the story is that it’s very unrealistic. If I was approached by a Tibetan monk who explained that my 10-year-old child is a reincarnated Buddhist teacher, and if the monk invited my child to Tibet… I would not accept the possibility or the offer. Especially if I wasn’t Buddhist. It doesn’t make that much sense. The movie portrayed that they were skeptical, but in my opinion, the director should have focused more on their thoughts about it. Moving on.
As Jesse and his parents read the book, the other half of the movie unfolds. It tells the story of the Buddha Siddhartha. Siddhartha is sheltered by his father when he is young. He never knows anything