Golden Kingdom Film Difficulty Ranking: 3
Do you want to leave your job to go meditate in a Buddhist temple surrounded by lush green hills? This film might just be the one for you. In the idyllic setting of Golden Kingdom you’ll follow one junior monk on his path to enlightenment.
From: Myanmar, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Colours of the Mountain, Rabbit Proof Fence, Kundun
Why Watch Golden Kingdom?
- Live with some junior Buddhist monks in remote Shan State, Burma.
- Join one monk on his path to enlightenment.
- If you’re a fan of coming-of-age films.
- To see how to meditate.
The Breakdown
Golden Kingdom starts with one elder monk lighting a match. The introduction of light from darkness symbolizes our entry into the Buddhist temple, and also the monk’s enlightenment. He is the only one shown who can create light. The four junior monks, his students, are still learning the ways of the Buddhist life.
We are introduced to the junior monks and their daily routine, which consists of praying, receiving food from a pious local, meditating, learning, and sleeping. They sleep on the floor and only eat one meal a day. Whilst they are disciplined, they are still kids. We see them playing football and having pillow fights instead of going to bed, which shows that they have not ready to become senior monks yet. However, after the quick opening, their leader receives a letter requesting him to leave across the mountains on a perilous route he may not return from. As a result, the junior monks have to fend for themselves and maintain the temple.
Whilst they manage on their own at first, sticking to the routine they are familiar with, they begin to lose their discipline. One of the students goes missing as he is led astray by jungle spirits, and more ghosts visit them in their temple. Koyin Witazara, who the senior monk appointed leader of the group, has to grow up quickly to prevent the group from wasting away. His journey, and the obstacles he faces, are symbolic of his slow quest to Buddhist enlightenment.
Growing Up in the Bubble
The temple they live in is isolated. The director gives us countless shots of the temple surrounded by green hills and forest to show that there is no human life nearby. Despite it’s isolation, the temple is also the home of the four junior monks which have been orphaned there. It’s become their home, and, as they don’t get out much, it’s the only place they’re familiar with. It’s their bubble which protects them from the outside world.
Their bubble bursts when their leader leaves and the man that they rely on for food stops coming. They are forced to leave the temple to survive, which opens them up to a world they are not familiar with.
The burden of survival falls upon Koyin Witazara. On his journeys to find food and help, he finds a country at war as well as plenty of ghosts and wild spirits. Everything he encounters on his journeys are shown as obstacles on his path to self discovery and enlightenment. To become a senior monk and complete his path to enlightenment, he must come to terms with the world around him and finally let go of his earthly ties.
What to Watch Next
If you want to watch more films about groups of kids growing up on their own, check out the boisterous kids of The Florida Project living with their single parents in motels near Disney World. I’d also recommend watching Colours of the Mountain in which Colombian kids are growing up almost unaware of the civil war violence around them as in Golden Kingdom.
If you’re looking for more films about children on long journeys of self discovery, check out Rabbit Proof Fence.
For more films about young Buddhists, check out Martin Scorsese’s Kundun. Finally, to learn more about the repressive military regime in Myanmar, check out Burma VJ.
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