Samsara

2001 ‘འཁོར་བ།’ Directed by Pan Nalin

A love story situated in the Himalayas. A Buddhist monk can't choose between life and the way of the Buddha.

Shawn Ku Christy Chung Neelesha BaVora Lhakpa Tsering Tenzin Tashi Jamayang Jinpa Jampa Kalsang Tamang

Alternative Title

轮回

romance drama adventure

138 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Xebeche ★★★★ 2

MONTH OF MUBI - SEPT. 30
This concludes the Month of Mubi challenge. It's been an interesting and ecclectic month and Samsara was a really strong finish.
The film follows a young monk named Tashi who, after spending over three years meditating in a Himalayan cave, decides to leave his monestary to persue human desires. Namely love and sex. The theme of the movie is best described by Tashi's elder: "Is it better to satisfy a thousand desires or overcome one?"
Samsara covers a lot of ground in its runtime; something like six or seven years. It's full of Buddhistic wisdom and explores the conflicts with quiet introspection. To my delight, I never knew where Tashi would end up. He's…
Review by smallclone ★★★★ 2

It's a complete experience this movie. The performances and the tone convey the journey, life choices and dilemmas of the main character Tashi very well. And at times, it has an almost documentary feel to it - as the landscape is so breathtaking. We go through themes of enlightenment, awakening, seduction, guilt, loneliness and back round again. Maybe for true enlightenment one has to experience everything that life can throw at you.
The film also has really powerful sound editing - every rustle of wind and meander of river was captured perfectly and drove home the setting brilliantly. The monologue by Pema towards the end of the movie is quite something too.
It's an extremely beautiful / spiritual film - I just wish there was a BluRay release so we could see it in HD glory.
Review by Travis Wagner ★★★★

I can get behind pretty much any deeply meditative take on religious conviction at odds with sexual desire. Add in a slow burn cinematic approach that watches modernity come crashing into a space of serenity and you have a stroke of wonder. The only real misstep in the film is the reliance on establishing a situation that causes the first act to lag heavily.
Review by Hemanthchikku ★★★

Desire is all about in this movie
Review by literallyaustin ★★★★½

I will admit that I watched this movie on accident while trying to find the 2011 film by the same name, but I was pleasantly surprised by this film.
Incredible visuals, fantastic acting, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack all combine to make this one of the most memorable movies I've watched recently.
The film's pace is slow and monotonous at points, but this all lends to the overall experience. This movie also gave me an insight into Buddhism like I've never seen. Fantastic movie.
Review by Arne Adolfsen ★★★★

At its core, Pan Nalin’s spectacularly shot Samsara is the taut and simply told story of a young Buddhist monk who’s torn between the spiritual and the sensual, between the monastery he’s lived in since he was 5 years old and life on the outside as an ordinary man. After spending three years, three months, and three days in isolated meditation, Tashi (Shawn Ku) returns to his monastery but it is readily apparent that he is still gripped by samsara — “the world of appearances and endless flux, including all aspects of becoming and death; cycles of birth and rebirth” — that his meditation was ostensibly meant to overcome. Tashi is proud of his accomplishments and not a little vain,…
Review by Jdsarmiento ★★★★★

“What is more important... satisfying one thousand desires or conquering just one.”
When you wake up horny after meditating for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. Relatable.
Samsara is a very interesting, very beautiful movie taking place up in the Himalayas about a man who decides to leave his monastery and experience the worldly life.
It’s a highly spiritual film that may require at least some basic knowledge about Buddhism to fully comprehend, as much of the story is symbolism for the struggle to reach enlightenment.
There are a few passages going over my head on the first viewing, and that only inspires me to study a little more of the philosophy and come back to Samsara…
Review by 眼睛長出一顆樹 ★★★

《色戒》
Samsara梵文直譯為『輪迴』。
內容很高深，論佛法裡談到的貪嗔痴慢疑，覺得這部電影每個人的看法會大不同，特別想提的大概是鍾麗緹飾演的琶瑪，雖說她是一個『慾望』，卻也象徵著另一個面向的修行，在最後那段送行的對話，琶瑪要比達世成熟太多了。
不過，掙扎也是人性必然的修行道路吧。
「怎樣讓一滴水不會乾枯？」「讓它流入大海。」
最後的歸宿都只有一個，其他皆無常。
－
但我必須說，鍾麗緹一直讓我出戲。
Review by Agnij Sur ★★★★★

A film on Buddhism, Love and practice of both. Our society, households tie us up in a knot from which an escape can be brutal.
The story revolves around various practices of a samsar ( world ) and the philosophical idea and explanations about the two different concepts, Samsara and Sannyas.
It would not be wise to compare Pan Nalin's Himalayan love story with Ron Fricke's Samasara. One is concerned with storytelling while the other involves visual art.
A pleasant watch altogether.

Recent reviews

Review by Hemanthchikku ★★★

Desire is all about in this movie
Review by Fabio Ferroni ★★★½

Muito bom mas só pra quem é do ramo.
Review by cosmicpeach ★★★½

Film simple mais efficace sur le dilemme entre ascétisme et plaisirs. Il reste assez peu original dans les péripéties, qui sont anticipables.
Review by Jdsarmiento ★★★★★

“What is more important... satisfying one thousand desires or conquering just one.”
When you wake up horny after meditating for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. Relatable.
Samsara is a very interesting, very beautiful movie taking place up in the Himalayas about a man who decides to leave his monastery and experience the worldly life.
It’s a highly spiritual film that may require at least some basic knowledge about Buddhism to fully comprehend, as much of the story is symbolism for the struggle to reach enlightenment.
There are a few passages going over my head on the first viewing, and that only inspires me to study a little more of the philosophy and come back to Samsara…
Review by Michael Lasoff ★★★★½

Pan Nalin's “Samsara” (2001) is a visual feast with a compelling message. The film touches on such questions as, “Is desire good or bad? What are the consequences of desire and what is real desire?”.
After undergoing 36 months of continuous meditation, Buddhist monk Tashi (Shawn Ku) arrives at a monastery and has a troubling revelation. He wants to experience sex. When Tashi fails to squelch his growing desire, he leaves the monastery behind. But, as he struggles to adjust after his sudden marriage, he realizes he lacks the tools necessary to cope with everyday troubles and temptations. I saw this film ages ago and was moved by it. It still works and holds the test of time.
Review by Lenka73 ★★★

Pan Nalin is a quite commendable director, an ace of Indian parallel cinema, even if his filmography is not particularly long. His films are exquisite to watch and Samsara is quite entertaining with its mix of mysticism and eroticism. A young Buddhist monk decides to change his life after meeting a beautiful peasant girl, will he really find happiness? Wonderful cinematography and sexy star Christiy Chung is always a threat
Review by flaying ★★★★

Just like a zen koan, the subtle true at the core of this movie can not be understood with the mind.
Review by suelendiass ★★★

Do we live only to satisfy our desires? Sometimes I feel like human beings live only to get what they want, but at the moment they get it, they want something bigger. That’s why people are treating other like “disposable”. They don’t care about their feelings anymore. But the question is: is it our nature? Or can we change it? But if it’s our nature it doesn’t mean we can’t change it.

Question: How to prevent a drop from drying out?

Answer: Just throw it in the ocean
Review by boinda Lee ★★★★

도로아미타불
속세에서 일반적으로 사용하기도해서 떠오른 여섯자 프로이드는 종교와 본능을 어떻게 해석했을까 인간이기를 거부하고 신에게 가려는 저들의 몸부림을 조게종에 추천하고 싶다
Review by shalom ★★★★

nnn for 3 years 3 months 3 weeks and 3 days my boi tashi really deserves christy chung here. lungkot lang sa dulo na part
Review by tommycrosson ★★★★½

Holy cow what a film. The film does a great job at saying a lot with saying very little. Acting is fantastic. Very captivating storytelling.
Review by LittleRusty ★★★

En film på ladakhiska och tibetanska om en otrogen munk. Otroligt. Det är ju en helt annan spelplan än vanligt. Men det är vackert och den udda och dramatiska inspelningsmiljön utnyttjas maximalt. Beskrivningen av livsbetingelserna på platsen känns realistisk. Handlingen är mycket skickligt in mixad i häftiga vyer från Himalayas landskap och byar. Men filmens bildskönhet är huvudnumret.