Samsara
Winter 2006 Edge series
Sunday, March 12, 2006 at 4:00pm
Sunday, March 12, 2006 at 7:00pm
Acadia Cinema's Al Whittle Theatre
450 Main Street, Wolfville, NS
Directed by
Starring
Rated PG ·
2h 18m
France
Tibetan and Ladakhi
Samsara, which won the Most Popular Film Award at the Melbourne Film Festival in 2002, is an epic love story set in the awe-inspiring Himalayas. The word samsara, of Buddhist/Hindu origin, refers to the endless cycle of birth and suffering and death and rebirth—Samsara is inspired by this concept in its exploration of love and the meaning of life.
Against a backdrop of majestic mountains in Ladakh, nestled in the Himalayas, Tashi is on a quest for enlightenment. He a brilliant young disciple studying the tenets of Buddhism who has just completed three years of meditation in solitude in a very remote outpost. Once out of his meditation, still deeply embedded in his inner world, Tashi is brought back to an ancient monastery to regain his strength, and is surprised at what awaits him. He had expected to continue on his quest for spiritual enlightenment, but when he journeys to a village to conduct a harvest blessing, he meets the beautiful Pema, and this chance encounter changes the course of his spiritual path.
The effect Pema has on him prompts Tashi, for the first time in his life, to question what he has been studying with such devotion for years, and he begins to realize that he might have to give in to his desires if he is to make an informed decision about renouncing the world. Hong Kong superstar Christy Chung glows in her portrayal of the temptress Pema, and stunning cinematography reveals the magical Himalayas as the true seat of the spiritual world. This is an unforgettable tale of desire, love and the search for peace of mind.