Buddha’s Lost Children

The Netherlands 2006 / 97min. Thai with English subtitles.
Director Mark Verkerk / Producer Ton Okkerse

Khru Bah is the tattooed and former Thai kickboxer turned Buddhist monk who’s spent the last 15 years caring for orphans in the foothills of the Thai Golden Triangle.

In this meditative and beautifully filmed look at how Bah trains his young charges to be monks, life lessons are doled out for the viewer, but in soft and irresistibly poetic tones.

Against the stunning forests, covered in mist, the Tiger Monk in his striking orange robes travels on horseback around the mountains of northern Thailand and administers to the people. The peaceful backdrop belies the reality: this remote region is dominated by the drug trade, and its hill tribe people are desperately poor.

In his Golden Horse Monastery, Buddhist nun Mae Ead teaches her wards to read, write, cook, wash and brush their teeth. Bah gives advice to the villagers, repairs the dilapidated temples and cares for the young children who come his way. His fierce compassion yet tough love makes him all too real and shatters any illusions of the stereotypical passive Buddhist monk.

Khru Bah‘s martial arts training requires discipline. His charges are put to the the test as they are dragged hundreds of kilometres through rough trails and learn to take responsibility for themselves and their horses.

With its stunning cinematography and intimate filmmaking Buddha’s Lost Children is a compelling story and an extraordinary experience of a hidden realm.

Find similar films by topic: Ethnic, Religion, Youth/Children

Director, Mark Verkerk, is a guest of DOCNZ 2007 thanks to the kind support of the Royal Netherlands Embassy and Holland Film.