Movies

The Cup
The modern globalized world invades a traditional Buddhist monastery in this prize-winning film directed by Khyentse Norbu, a Buddhist lama, and shot in an actual monastery with real monks for actors. Read a review here. For an interview with the director, see here.

American Beauty
Although this funny, intriguing, popular American film of 1999 makes no mention of religion or spirituality, two of the characters exhibit some of the characteristics of enlightenment, and the emotion that affects many viewers at the end is spiritual awareness, although most of them probably don't realize it. This is an oddity, a modern western work of art that successfully conveys deep religious sentiment. One of the film's many nice touches which slide past with perfect lack of emphasis is that all its acts of violence are motivated by love. Most viewers would be astonished that we take it as a religious film, and that's one of the things that make it so wonderful.

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This page was published on December 1, 1999 and last revised on May 9, 2000.