To me, this movie is perfection.

Lack of good storyline.

From my favorite movies..

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Frankly speaking, at first I was somewhat skeptical about the Dutch film with the word "Buddha" in its title, however, after watching it, my opinion completely changed. It may not be the most precise representation of Buddhist monks' lifestyle, but it certainly gives us a good insight on it. The first thing that attracted my attention was the fact that events of this documentary take place on the border of Thailand, Burma and Laos- the area that is called the "Golden Triangle'. Since this region is infamous for its history of production and trade in opium, I was interested to see to what extent the film would be able to show the reality of situation faced by people living there. Though it was not the primary goal of the movie to cause sympathy, it certainly succeeded to provoke my emotions. Harsh living conditions of villagers were portrayed pretty accurately, but what affected me more were children and, of course, Khru Bah hilmself. As we are shown, some children initially did not want to go to the monastery, I myself even felt sorry for Pan Sean who had to leave his family. However, The Golden Horse monastery is more than a place where monks live and practice religion - it is primarily home for many people. As time passes, we can definitely see how the care children receive in the monastery begins to change them, they even begin to refer to Khru Bah as to their father. Considering the fact that relationships between monks in the monastery have to be neutral, it appeared somewhat controversial at the beginning. But now, after watching the documentary fully, I can say that this film's goal is not to simply represent certain aspect of religion- it is to represent humaneness and love. As Khru Bah said, this type of love is pretty tough, it's not weak. Through discipline he wants to make these children strong, that's why sometimes he has to be firm. That is probably one of the main reasons why his novices practice Thai boxing. This phenomenon also actually seemed quite confusing to me since I did not associate Buddhist monks with such type of sport. However, it indicates that documentary succeeded to once again break the stereotype that Buddhism is pacifist religion. I found the scene of rebuilding of the temple quite imposing, more particularly, I was impressed by Khun Ead. At first glance the fragile nun could efficiently suppress conflict that almost turned into a fight among young volunteers from the village. Even though Khru Bah first noticed the discord, it was Khun Ead who carried out "educational work" most part of the time. Overall, watching Suk, Pan Saen and other boys growing up, gaining experience and socializing was pleasurable and refreshing. At the beginning I had a feeling that this was going to be a very tough film that would show mostly difficulties that children and the monk has to overcome every day in order to survive. Indeed, this suggestion was not fully wrong, however, contrary to my expectations, at the end I found myself in a really good mood. Doubtlessly, people like Khru Bah should be depicted in media to show their good deeds and promote such kind of behavior among others. He and his novices reminded me that we should appreciate what we have and left me with the thought that happiness can be achieved even in such hard and sometimes dangerous conditions.

This documentary is about a Buddhist monk setting up a monastery to help orphans and children in need in northern Thailand.The film is a linear chronicle of events that happened over one year. The children are "lost" because they lost their parents, or simply because of their parents are too poor to raise them. In the beginning of the film, we see a mother giving up her son because she cannot afford to raise all her kids. She entrusts her son to Kruh Bah, a monk dedicated to changing the lives of others. In his words, he is a medium to pass on knowledge to children. Not only does he teach the teachings of Buddha, but also very basic things such as the importance of brushing teeth every day. The children also get to learn how to handle animals, and how to do so with respect.The film is full of love and care. Even after some youngsters tries to pick a fight (using alarmingly long harvest knives) with him, he forgives and offers them jobs for a month, so that he gets to teach these youngsters what life is about.I think this documentary is inspirational. It portrays how life is like when every day is a struggle for survival. It tells me how life is in other parts of the world, where people are not as materialistic. It is a part of the world and a culture which I am unlikely to be able to experience first hand. Though the film is a bit slow, it is worth the watch!

Buddha's Lost Children is an interesting registration of a man that tries to create a better life for the people around him by giving them a sense of self worth and awareness of their decaying culture. He mainly does this by taking in children in the Golden Horse Tempel and teaching them respect, wisdom, Thai-boxing and life's lessons. This documentary was clearly made with a lot of love, the same amount of love Phra Khru Ba gives to the children in his monastery. Mark Verkerk keeps a certain distance and no judgments about the things that happen in front of the camera. He's just there to record the special energy that surrounds the monk and his positive deeds. Truly a sweet, positive movie with beautiful images and a life-lesson that isn't cliché but gives you the urge to become a better person.

Buddhas Lost Children is a documentary but it watches like a movie. It tells the story of a Thai-boxer becoming a monk called Phra Khru Bah and taking care of orphans in a very poor region in the north of Thailand. Although the story is not always logical to follow because there are jumps in time and space the real story being told here is that of love, dedication and sharing. It may sound soft but when you take the time to watch this documentary you'll find out that life over there is very tough and it takes a lot of creativity and flexibility to take care of the many children Phra Kru Bah has under his care. Watching Buddhas Lost Children brought me into a certain mood that made me reflect on what is really important in life, that's why for me this documentary is a valuable lesson in what life is really about.