Seven Years in Tibet - AHB

Besides Pitt's rather awful Austrian accent, I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I didn't know very much about the history of Tibet or the Dalai Lama, so it was interesting to watch an entertaining film that also attempted to rely an incredible true story. If you've never seen the film I would recommend it - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120102/synopsis - that link is for the synopsis if anyone is interested. It was actually a BBC documentary on Tibet that turned me on to this this film. This region is so unique and incredible, I find it absolutely staggering.

The Dalai Lama is a really fascinating character. His peaceful nature stands in contrast to the warlike nature of the 20th century. The film really only covers his childhood and adolescence, but even then it is amazing to see this individual become a powerful religious and political leader despite great barriers. However, the film does a good job of not overdoing his characters, in the end we still see a boy with many of the familiar inner struggles and desires. His innocence is countered by his strength of character, which seems to be his true source of power.

Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt) is the antithesis to the Dalai Lama. Harrer is a famous Austrian mountain climber and Nazi sympathizer. He goes to the Himalayas as much to escape his pregnant wife and the burdens of responsibility as to experience the mountain.

What the films really beautifully portrays is the way that two people from diverse backgrounds can affect and change one another. Harrer becomes the father figure that the Dalai Lama needs, but in the end we find that Harrer is the one who really needed to be turned around. To put it in more theological language, Harrer had to undergo this incredible journey in order to learn how to interact with people. He goes from a selfish man whose only concern is his own reputation, to a mature man who understands how to enter in to meaningful I-Thou relationships. Sometimes people do have to go all the way around the world to find themselves, and to discover the meaning of home.

A film relevant to us perhaps?