Film: Unmistaken Child
Release date: 11th April 2011
Certificate: E
Running time: 102 mins
Director: Nati Baratz
Starring: Tenzin Zopa
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Matchbox
Format: DVD
Country: Israel
This is a majority English-language release.
Could you give up your child for a religion you truly believed in? That is the question posed by documentary filmmaker Nati Baratz in his latest film.
When Tibetan Buddhist master Geshe Lama Konchong died in 2001 after twenty-six years of isolated meditation in a remote mountain retreat, the Dalai Lama instructed his most dedicated disciple, Tenzin Zopa, to search for his reincarnation. Unmistaken Child follows his journey as he travels the Tsum Valley to find the baby whom he believes is his master’s reincarnation with only a series of signs and dreams to guide him.
After meeting many children, Tenzin meets a 1-year-old boy who is so attached to the rosary beads that belonged to Tenzin’s deceased master that he steadfastly refuses to give them back, claiming that they are his. Tenzin is sure that he has found the right child, so he takes him to meet the Dalai Lama, who gives the child a series of tests which he believes will prove that this baby is the reincarnation of Geshe Lama Konchong. But will the Dalai Lama agree and, more importantly, if the baby is the reincarnation of the Tibetan Buddhist master, will his parents be able to hand him over to a life in the monastery...?
One of the most striking features about the documentary Unmistaken Child is the lack of voice-over. Whilst it is an unusual omission for a documentary, in this case, the film is greatly enhanced by its absence. At first, it seems as if the purpose of this is to draw attention to the beautiful scenic shots of Nepal, creating a sense of serenity which corresponds with the tranquillity of the Buddhist faith. However, as the film progresses, it becomes apparent that this subversion of a generic convention does so much more. The lack of voice-over means that the film never judges its characters; it lets them tell the story.
Furthermore, by doing this, Baratz ensures that the audience is drawn directly into this fascinating and little known world as seen by the people who inhabit it. This means that, at times, Unmistaken Child is incredibly moving. When Tenzin goes back to the retreat where he had lived with ‘Geshe-La’ since he was a young boy of 7 years old, the camera holds his face in a close-up as he struggles to comprehend his loss. He is so overcome with emotion that he can barely speak through his tears, except to say that, when Geshe-La was there, the retreat was beautiful but “now everything has gone.” It is at this point that the film transforms from a film about something that is far removed from most people’s experiences into something that many people can relate to. For it is during this scene that it becomes evident that despite his unusual lifestyle, Tenzin is grieving for the loss of someone he looked up to as a parent figure – and that is something that affects all of us at some point during our lives.
As well as allowing the audience to relate to the subjects of the documentary, the film also sheds light on the concept of Buddhism in a way that is fascinating. It’s obvious that in being asked to find his master’s reincarnation, Tenzin has been given an overwhelming task. As he travels the valley in search of the special baby, he is treated like a celebrity; people clamour to catch a glimpse of the young man who was so close to the greatly respected Geshe-La. It’s rather surprising just how many families are keen to prove that their child is the one that he is searching for. In one particularly humorous scene, an elderly grandmother desperately tries to convince Tenzin that her grandson is a special baby because, unlike her other grandchildren, he had a very easy delivery.
However, the film reaches a new emotional level when Tenzin meets the baby whom he believes is his master’s reincarnation. From the first time that the little baby fiercely clings on to the rosary beads through to his impressive performance in the ‘tests’ set by the Dalai Lama, Tenzin’s excitement is palpable and the idea that he could be the reincarnation of the Tibetan Buddhist master is highly believable. Also, as the bond between them grows, it seems as if Tenzin could be just as dedicated to mentoring the child as Geshe-La was to him.
Of course, as the film never fails to show, there are two sides to every story and even though the little boy is shown to be impressively bright and almost special, he is also a typically boisterous toddler who likes to run around outdoors. His normality is reinforced during a scene in which Tenzin is unable to comfort him when he has a nosebleed and his father must teach him what to do. It is here that the audience are reminded that despite Tenzin’s belief that this little boy is destined to dedicate his life to Buddhism, he also has parents who love him unconditionally and want to do what’s right for him. The scene in which they silently deliberate whether to give up their child for the religion they strongly believe in, knowing that they are unlikely to ever see him again, is unbearably tense and utterly heartbreaking. It’s an impossible decision and one that they never imagined they would have to make.
Unmistaken Child is a beautifully shot film that illuminates its subject in a way that is truly captivating. It is also an entirely objective film that refuses to judge the actions of its characters, which makes the questions that is raises all the more difficult to answer. SH
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