‘10 Questions for the Dalai Lama’ | 2 ½ stars

Source:www.kansascity.com
By LOEY LOCKERBY
Special to The Star

In addition to interviewing the Dalai Lama, the film explores his homeland. With his impish smile and Yoda-like voice, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet has become a cultural icon in places where most people couldn’t find his home country on a map.

Celebrity friends like Richard Gere have certainly raised his profile, but he does not need their help to be a fascinating figure. As director Rick Ray regularly points out in this fawning documentary, His Holiness has quite a personality of his own.

Ray has previously made films that are part travelogue, part spiritual journey, and his particular interest in Asia serves him well as he explores the Dalai Lama’s world.

Most of “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama” (opening today at the Tivoli) is taken up by a lesson on Tibet’s culture and history. That provides much-needed context and pads out the running time beyond the 45 minutes Ray has been granted with his subject.

This part of the film is enlightening, if a little shallow. It portrays Tibet as a virtual paradise before the brutal Chinese takeover in the 1950s, completely ignoring the feudal system that kept most of the population in poverty and servitude.

It does, however, offer a candid view of the Dalai Lama as a person, showing not only his well-known kindness and sense of humor, but also his impatience with the more formal aspects of his position. Ray also explains the religious beliefs that led to this man’s ascension from poor peasant to revered spiritual leader.

Ironically, when Ray finally gets to the reason for his movie’s existence — the interview itself — he runs out of things to say. Many of his questions are of the “Why are you so awesome?” variety, and it’s clear that he wouldn’t think of throwing anything but softballs.

Fortunately, His Holiness can give nuanced answers to even the lamest questions, and he offers a few surprises. He believes, for instance, that doing away with some of Tibet’s long-standing traditions is a good thing, and he supports modernizing the largely rural country. He also acknowledges that non-violence isn’t always the best response, while still wishing no harm to Chinese officials, who have kept him in exile in India since 1959.

He delivers these responses thoughtfully, even if he seems slightly bemused by Ray’s awestruck manner. The Dalai Lama may be, as Ray asserts, a “rock star for peace,” and the spiritual idol of millions, but he’s also a pretty cool guy. You don’t have to be an adoring fan to see that.