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Bernardo Bertolucci returned to the same fertile ground that garnered his outstanding "The Last Emperor" Academy Award gold, and comes up with a half-hearted attempt to tell the story of Siddhartha.
In Bhutan, Lama Norbu (Ruocheng Ying, the only cast member who should have been awarded an Oscar nod) receives good news. Thanks to a vivid dream from another Buddhist monk, Norbu is convinced that his deceased teacher may have been reborn in Seattle, Washington. He flies to the United States, meets with some American monks, and they set upon the brand new house owned by Dean and Lisa (Chris Isaak and Bridget Fonda), and the object of their inquiry- Jesse (a pretty good Alex Wiesendanger). The monks are very nice, and win over Lisa right away. Dean is having problems at work, and isn't warming up to the idea that his blonde six year old is the reincarnation of some Buddhist monk. Norbu leaves a children's book for Jesse, and we are introduced to the parallel story of the film. The book tells the over-two-thousand-year-old story of Prince Siddhartha (Keanu Reeves), a pampered young man who is hidden from the negativity of the world by his father, until he finally ventures beyond the city gates one day and discovers that the world does not exist merely to make him happy. He takes it upon himself to end suffering, and in the process becomes "enlightened," a Buddha. Bertolucci cuts back and forth between the story of Jesse, who eventually finds himself in Bhutan to see if he is in fact the reincarnation, and Siddhartha, who sits and meditates a lot.
I don't mean to be flippant about Buddha, or the religion that sprung from Siddhartha's teachings, but when the film itself careens so wildly from epic to silly domestic soap opera, it is hard to take the proceedings seriously. Miscasting abounds. Reeves certainly looks exotic, sporting more eyeliner than a glam rocker, but when he asks "what is...suffering?," I had to stifle a giggle. Same with Isaak, whose music is more emotional than his acting. His frustration at schlepping his kid to a Buddhist center and his big scene where he learns a boss/coworker has died, play the exact same. He had one constipated emotion, but works that single facial expression with everything he's got. Fonda is barely here. She disappears half way through the picture, and I wondered if something happened during production that explained the actress' absence from the screen.
When the film does work, it is as magical as "The Last Emperor." Ying is wonderful as the humble monk looking for his spiritual guide. Every time he is onscreen, his scenes click and interest is raised. Vittorio Storaro's cinematography is clunky and obvious- Siddhartha's scenes are warm and wonderful, the Seattle scenes are so cold and clinical, I expected to see the actors' breath in interior shots. Ryuichi Sakamoto tries to copy his "The Last Emperor" score, with sporadic success. The film is an education, and I learned a lot about Buddhism. The structure should have been an epic telling, but both story lines achieve mediocrity, and at the film's end, I wondered "well, what now?" This wasn't an open, ambiguous ending, but an ending not worthy of the emotional investment I put into the characters- both modern day and ancient.
"Little Buddha" takes the middle road, and so does my review.
Stats:
(1993) 123 min. (6/10)
-Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
-Screenplay by Rudy Wurlitzer and Mark Peploe, Story by Bernardo Bertolucci
-Cast: Keanu Reeves, Chris Isaak, Bridget Fonda, Ruocheng Ying, Alex Wiesendanger, Raju Lal, Greishma Makar Singh, Sogyal Rinpoche, Ven. Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, Ven, Geshe Tsultim Gyelsen, Jo Champa, Jigme Kunsang, Thubtem Jampa
(PG)
Media Viewed: Home Video
