Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

This is How Movies Should Be Made

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

We are all little drops of water and our destiny is to merge with the ocean, but, meanwhile... we can do a lot of things, we have a material life! That sounds great! Do a lot of sins, uncountable mistakes every day, big ones from time to time, concerning friendship choices, direction choices, work choices, love and sex choices, food choices, marriage choices...Some of us just look further, they are in a higher place, the Himalayas. They are able to look at the planet from its highest point. Sounds like a top accomplishment in physical life, takes a lot of spirit, but doesn't change our fate, neither our nature. As this story tells us, this special situation actually brings us closer to what we really are or are willing to be: defiant life, children in the universe, playing with gods and God, sewing provocations, conflicts and challenges, because as carnal life we become so unstable, unhappy and unquiet.This misfortune of suffering in life - the material life - turns out to be a paradox, because it's also our primary source of pleasure and happiness. It's kind of a disgrace, pretty much describes human adventures around here..., while we quietly start missing a perfect life, the eternal life that only our spirit knows. We tend to live by the instincts of the ego. It's attractive! Ego thinks as if it were the center of the universe. Physical life is all we've got, so let's go and get it, before someone else does! But inside we're evaluating and searching for better answers.On our most primeval basis we live on the instincts of our ego and all we want is to seek the biggest or wildest forms of Earth pleasures, then we get stuck in all conflicts this attitude produces. This circle of secular life we are imprisoned in is called Samsara, by the Buddhist. This life in between while we are learning the ultimate truth of life, evolving from a physical to a spiritually based life. We will always have a body in this planet, or in this dimension, but our mind can learn through the errors of our material desires and experiences. Conflicts cannot be overcome until we make some better choices out of the problems we have. And that'd be the way, the direction of our spiritual life towards Nirvana.In this movie we can see all the rebuilding of a different culture, where landscape, rhythms, preoccupations, all of them are so different from our usual life, but not the essential conflicts, they are all there, reproduced in the ascetic and very frugal eastern life of the Himalaias. A monk, practically a young Lama, Tashi, barely comes back from 3 years, 3 days, 3 months and 3 weeks of complete and almost impossible meditation, locked inside a cavern, and comes back to life with a very weird behavior, some kind of scandal in his community, because he starts to miss the most basic thing of material life: he starts to desire women and to dream of them, and it gets worse when he meets Pema, because then a love story begins.That's a big disappointment for his masters and he is sent back to secular life, for a proof of his true wishes and calls. That brings together the whole chain of conflicts we the ordinary people have. Notice that in this particular prism there are no powerful, rich our famous people, everyone is ordinary because they live by their ambition and greed and expectations. We have to get used to this different rhythm and language of the East, the way the story has to be told, the whole scenery, so we can think about a possible or not possible balance in our life. Everybody has its karma, so it's a different answer to each one of us.In this story we can see also other problems, like male and female basic attitudes and visions, basic relation problems among people, families, couples and lovers. The market competition, the love dispute, the inner doubts, the reactions and answers we usually give or not. A silent battle between ego and spirit that dominates our mind all the time; the choices we must make and the understanding we should learn. But this challenge of existence is given to us also through a female view, the perspective of Yoshadara, the wife of Sidarda, the prince who became the Buddah, and that comes from Pema, the female character.If we cannot find the balance of our life and find our answers we will be back to try again, that's Samsara, if we don't reach Nirvana; a beautiful movie and an a very good idea for discussion. Are we ready to go straight to the "ocean"? Can we reach Nirvana without doing everything we have to do in Samsara? Would life have any meaning if we didn't have our mistakes to learn from them? Should we just embrace our carnal life and bring it to all extremes, forgetting all about essence, spirit and evolution of our souls and hearts?

Normally I would be with hundreds celebrating the arrival of the new year. Last night I decided to be alone with SAMSARA. When the film ended at 1h40am, I was in year 2006 -transformed. A masterpiece about choices that we all have to make sooner or later. I've spent hours surfing net on SAMSARA, reading reactions of people from Brazil to Bombay to Bucharest to Bangladesh. How wonderful so many people are united by SAMSARA. The film opens up your heart and soul. I am normally too much an intellectual when it comes to liking a film. But this one just took me like a storm -mesmerizing cinematography, soothing sound track (one of the best sound design ever!), soul-stirring landscapes and above all masterly written and directed by Pan Nalin -whoever he maybe. It is one of the most powerful first feature I have ever seen. I now eagerly await Nalin's next feature VALLEY OF FLOWERS. Meanwhile for anyone who has not yet seen this movie I say to them just go for it with open mind, leave your issues behind and just dive into SAMSARA...

'Samsara' tells the story of Tashi, a young Tibetan Buddhist monk, who renounces monastic life in favour of a relationship with a beautiful young woman named Pema. Together they have a child and as the story unfolds Tashi's life in the material world becomes increasingly complex and difficult.The movie successfully captures the difference between the contemplative life of a Buddhist monk, and the worldly life of a husband. This is most clearly shown in the stark contrast between the opening sequence of the movie, where Tashi is in a long meditation retreat, and the sensual sex scenes later on.The majestic landscapes of Ladakh, one of India's most remote regions, provide a pristine Himalayan backdrop. And the original soundtrack and chanting is haunting at times.The movie has English sub-titles and moves along quite slowly with limited dialogue and many pregnant pauses. This may be disconcerting for some viewers, but to me this reflective mood seemed appropriate for the subject-matter.'Samsara' could be said to build on the groundwork provided by popular movies such as 'Seven Years in Tibet' and 'Kundun', to provide a more authentic and detailed portrayal of the vicissitudes of life and culture in central Asia. (If you enjoy 'Samsara' you may also like 'The Cup'.) This award-winning movie can only enhance a growing interest in Tibetan Buddhism in the West.

A beautiful set, spectacle landscape only revealing a story of a ugly fact. What is the religion really about? When Pema asked Tashi 'see what I have done? Did you do this for me?' and Tashi answered 'I only did it for myself.' It is very true. He is such a selfish man and the other only are his step stone. Pema and the son became a victim. He just want to explore life and Pema helped him to become another level of his next monk life. Location is always important to such a atmosphere film and this film have utilized it to the most. 6 out of 10 goes to the beautiful piece of land. My only criticism is the beginning of the film. The bird graphic was a bit too harsh. It looks too fake. The film would have wonderful if we forget this quick done work.