Becoming Who I Was

Author: Padma Angdu

Format: Full Screen

Details: Product Description

In northern India's sparsely populated and mountainous Ladakh region, an impoverished young boy is discovered to be an reincarnation of an esteemed, high-ranking Tibetan monk. Born displaced from his original monastery in Tibet, the boy, Padma Angdu, is denied his rightful place. Amid growing doubts and mounting expectations in the community, Padma Angdu and his elderly grandfather embark on a gruelling, improbable trek across India to return the young monk-to-be to his rightful monastery before it's too late. Filmed over eight years, Becoming Who I Was shows an incredibly intimate friendship between a future religious leader and his godfather, whose devotion and selflessness is truly touching. Becoming Who I Was is an artful exploration of culture, identity, tradition, all the while capturing universal truths: unconditional love, sacrifice, and the inevitable passing of time.

Review

Being chosen by fate as the reincarnation of a fabled spiritual master might seem great good fortune, but in fact it turns out to be a considerable burden in Becoming Who I Was. Chang-Yong Moon and Jin Jeon s documentary, a Grand Prix winner at Berlin, spends eight years in the company of a Ladakhi boy pronounced the latest incarnation of a high-ranking Tibetan monk. His appointed destiny is to be reunited with that predecessor's monastic order but seemingly insurmountable geographic, political, financial and other obstacles lie between him and that goal. A charmingly intimate portrait that ultimately assumes epic-journey proportions, this deserving crowd-pleaser should benefit from Western art-house audiences fondness for all things Tibetan Buddhist. --Variety

The setting may be utterly foreign, with an unearthly beauty revealed in mesmerizing drone shots, but Padma's needs and fears are common to everyone. And the love between Padma and Urgain, marked by the occasional dispute and tantrum, has a universal honesty. Becoming Who I Was is a remarkable achievement, a work of beauty and heartbreak with the power to move us all. --Film Journal

EAN: 0619317690127

Release Date: 29-01-2019

Package Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches

Languages: English

Binding: DVD