"Buddha Mountain" is a well-acted, well-directed film executed in a "cinema verite" style, that should find a common audience with young people the world over.
It deals with the trials and tribulations of three young friends as they make their way through the modern-day Chinese youth culture. Night-clubs, fights, drinking, and sexual tensions ensure there is never a dull moment...at least until the morning after.
The story takes an unexpected turn when the trio seek to rent rooms from a middle-aged widow who has sorrows of her own. What ensues is a story of pain, acceptance, healing, and ultimately...enlightenment? While this is a portrait of modern-day Chinese life, it is certainly not a new story.
It's a re-telling of "Journey to The West". The Fat Kid is Piggie. The Girl is The Monkey King. The Dude is Sandy. The Widow is The Monk. The white car is like a white horse. In the end, the trio receives enlightenment...but what does that mean for this generation? That's the question the viewer is left to answer for themselves.
This is a fine movie, more layered and hopeful than an average "teen-angst" film. It is worth seeking out.
It deals with the trials and tribulations of three young friends as they make their way through the modern-day Chinese youth culture. Night-clubs, fights, drinking, and sexual tensions ensure there is never a dull moment...at least until the morning after.
The story takes an unexpected turn when the trio seek to rent rooms from a middle-aged widow who has sorrows of her own. What ensues is a story of pain, acceptance, healing, and ultimately...enlightenment? While this is a portrait of modern-day Chinese life, it is certainly not a new story.
It's a re-telling of "Journey to The West". The Fat Kid is Piggie. The Girl is The Monkey King. The Dude is Sandy. The Widow is The Monk. The white car is like a white horse. In the end, the trio receives enlightenment...but what does that mean for this generation? That's the question the viewer is left to answer for themselves.
This is a fine movie, more layered and hopeful than an average "teen-angst" film. It is worth seeking out.