Filmmakers Andrew Hinton and Johnny Burke's Tashi and the Monk centers on an eminent humanitarian figure in Tibetan Buddhism (who is not a certain Dalai Lama): Lobsang Phuntsok, a once unwanted boy who was written off as incorrigible and left at a monastery. Phuntsok matured and became deeply concerned with the welfare of other lost children. Leaving the temple life, he founded the Jhamtse Gatsai Children's Home in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, a commune-like haven that emphasizes mutual support and compassion—as opposed to professional counselors and career social workers. Five-year-old Tashi Drolma is a spirited girl troublemaker, a newcomer to the community, although much of the real drama here lies instead in the heartache of desperate families whose surplus kids, unlike Tashi, do not make it into Jhamtse Gatsai's small population. DVD extras include audio commentary by the directors, bonus interviews, additional scenes, and short films about Jhamtse Gatsai. Opening a window onto the plight of the impoverished in a part of the world more associated with mountaineering adventure and visual splendor, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)
Tashi and the Monk
(2016) 40 min. DVD: $30 ($125 w/PPR): public libraries; DVD or Blu-ray: $295 w/PPR: colleges & universities. DRA. Collective Eye Films. Volume 32, Issue 5
Tashi and the Monk
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