A different way of telling a story

The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Warning: If your soul is not well-prepared for this journey, don't watch it. There's a lot of tissues involved Yes, I started crying right after the first 5 minutes. Everything. Just so beautiful. So mesmerizing. The light. The sound. The people. My 2 most favorite humans in the world: Thich Nhat Hanh and Benedict Cumberbatch? Well I'm in. Ok, I think I've run out of tissues.

I think I was expecting more from this film than I actually got, which is probably a reflection of why I was drawn to the film, attachment and expectations being the root of suffering and all. :)Stillness and a very slow development punctuated by a couple memorable nuggets - doggy story (he is not dead - he is just in a new form), you can only enjoy the treasures of the world in the present (the past is gone, the future has not happened), mindful eating - be present with each bite.I think I personally need to dive more deeply into stillness and contemplation to rate this more highly, but it was an interesting glimpse at what Buddhism really means in practice.

Zen Buddhism is a really interesting way to look at the world, and Thich Nhat Hanh is arguably one of its great teachers. But neither comes through in this well meant but pointless film.The film fails to tell you much of anything. You don't learn who Thich Nhat Hanh is, what he's doing, where he's doing it (beyond somewhere in France), or why he's doing it. There's no history, no context. It's mostly just following a guy around, and I mean that literally, there are minutes on screen of the back of a guy's head as he walks about.You won't learn much of anything about Zen Buddhism. The five core precepts aren't mentioned, nor the 14 mindfulness teachings. You'll have to look them up because IMDb won't let me post a link here. You'd think that any film about Thich Nhat Hanh would at least mention what he's known for. If you think that, this film will disappoint you.And I have to say the camera work played against what little message there was. For example, there were way, way, way too many extreme closeups, which emphasizes the individual and downplays the connections between all things that Thich Nhat Hanh teaches.Thich Nhat Hanh and the Zen Buddhism he teaches deserve a better film than this.

This film immerses the viewer into Thich Nhat Hanh's practice of mindfulness and approach to life. It sets a beautiful mood while showing the life at a Buddhist monastery. The viewer experiences Thich Nhat Hanh teaching, children asking difficult questions, monks and nuns playing calming classical music - interrupted by a bell after which everyone pauses to contemplate the present moment.