Norbu is the only high-ranking Tibetan Buddhist lama (the only lama of
any sort, in fact) to make a film. But his unusual day job shouldn't
distract you from seeing just what a natural director he is. Norbu's
gentle, humorous but razor-sharp observation of human nature
transcends boundaries, while his grasp of the politics of
dispossession gives his work an underlying sense of substance. The
overall effect isn't far from Satyajit Ray, though it was Bertolucci
who gave him his first (movie) job, as 'authenticity consultant' on
Little Buddha. Norbu's next film is about a Bhutanese man who struggles
to come to terms with condoms. I can't wait.
