Here's the blurb from the press notes: "Nicholas (Nicky) Vreeland, the grandson of legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, walked away from a worldly life of privilege to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk in 1972. He moved to India, cut his ties with his pleasure-filled world, and began living in a monastery with no running water or electricity. There, he would spend the next 14 years studying to become a monk."

That was enough to pique my interest. So many of us get caught up in the details of trying to make a living, trying to succeed -- we sometimes forget that life is supposed to have meaning. I suppose that could be my bias. But, you must have an inkling towards it, too, since you're reading this review.

The film follows one man's very interesting journey from riches to a humble life. Despite my generalization in the previous paragraph, the film stays modestly focused on its subject's story. This is not an advertisement for Buddhism, though it'll make you aware of the religion and its plight from Tibet. Forgive the pun, but it's a big picture film, that doesn't bog itself down with specifics. Nicky's "conversion" seems simple, like falling off a log. Meandering along Nicky's life, the film eventually falls into an attachment of its own -- the drama of temple construction.

It's quiet and pleasant and light. It's pace is not fast, but it gets to where it's going. A good reminder to those of us who are all too easily distracted.

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --