Try to imagine the feelings of a couple told that their 18-month-old son is the reincarnation of a religious leader and must be trained at a distant monastery. That’s just one small but significant moment in “Unmistaken Child,” a compelling documentary about events that followed the death in 2001 of the revered Tibetan master Geshe Lama Kochog.
The film follows the four-year search by Tenzin Zopa, a young monk who was a longtime disciple of Kochog’s, from its beginnings to the boy’s certification by the Dalai Lama and his presentation to the faithful.
If you’re looking for detailed background about Buddhist beliefs and practices, you’ll be disappointed. Director Nati Baratz, an Israeli, is targeting viewers who have only a passing knowledge of the religion.
He succeeds in humanizing the quest. Early on, Zopa is taken aback to learn he’s the one expected to find his late master’s reincarnation — he’s an unassuming sort and doesn’t feel worthy.
But he accepts anyway, because of his devotion to Geshe-la (his familiar name for the lama). Zopa arms himself with details divined by astrologers and other wise men, so that he knows roughly where to look and that the boy’s father’s name begins with “A.”
The process is fascinating, as are the tests applied to the candidates, such as picking from a pile of significant objects the one used by Geshe-la.
Some of the most intense scenes involve obtaining permission from the parents, who know that further contact with their child will be limited. At one point the mother says it’s OK to take him, but her face indicates otherwise. And when the father gives consent, saying that losing the child “will benefit all sentient beings,” he’s clearly trying to talk himself into it.
“UNMISTAKEN CHILD”
Not rated. 1 hour, 42 minutes. Documentary. Written and directed by Nati Baratz. With Tenzin Zopa. In English, Tibetan, Nepalese and Hindi, with English subtitles. Opens today at the Esquire.
