Search
What's Hot
Day-by-Day Fall Schedule
Idol Winner Speaks!
Jim Parsons Comes Out
Game of Thrones Star's Sex Stare

The Cup

1999, Movie, G, 94 mins

The Cup: Review

CUP, THE | PHORPA
starstarstarstar
The tragedy of modern Tibet haunts this otherwise lighthearted tale of life inside a Buddhist monastery-in-exile. Like many Tibetan youths whose families fear for their children's safety in Chinese-occupied Tibet, Palden (Kunzang Nyima) and his young nephew Nyima (Pema Tshundup) are smuggled to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery into Northern India. They're ordained and indoctrinated into the lives of Buddhist monks under the stern and watchful eye of Geko (Orgyen Tobgyal), the monastery's disciplinarian. The days are filled with ritual and prayer, but life in the monastery isn't all austerity and self-sacrifice. Palden is particularly surprised by his roommate Orgyen (Jamyang Lodro), an adolescent monk who undoubtedly loves the Buddha, and cares about only one thing in the material world: World Cup soccer. This charming film is ostensibly about Orgyen's efforts to get a satellite dish and TV set into the monastery in time for the World Cup finals, but it's also about life in exile, and a harsh life it is. Though set in Northern India, first-time director Khyentse Norbu — himself an important Buddhist lama who was raised in a monastery — shot the film at the Chokling Monastery, part of a remote Tibetan refugee settlement in the small Himalayan country of Bhutan. Norbu can't resist a few pointed comments regarding the ongoing occupation of Tibet, and gently takes the U.S. to task for its equivocal stance toward China. But politics aside, the film's a great opportunity to catch a demystified glimpse of the endlessly fascinating rituals of Tibetan Buddhism. Adding to its realism is Norbu's decision to cast the monastery's actual monks in major roles, and his strategy yields some delightful results, particularly Young Lodro's performance as Orgyen. A pint-sized tough-talker with a home-made soccer jersey under his red and orange robes, he's part Buddhist monk, part Dead End Kid, and a total charmer. leave a comment --Ken Fox
Are You Watching?
The Cup
Loading ...
Advertisement

Our Partners

Advertisement

Related Websites

You might be also interested in the following websites:

Most Popular TV Shows

  1. American Idol
  2. NCIS
  3. Big Bang Theory
  4. Voice
  5. Person of Interest
more popular tv shows

Most Popular Celebrities

  1. Jessica Simpson
  2. Khloe Kardashian
  3. Kate Middleton
  4. Maria Menounos
  5. Kim Kardashian
more popular celebrities

Most Popular Movies

  1. Avengers
  2. Battleship
  3. The Dictator
  4. Dark Shadows
  5. What To Expect When You're Expecting
more popular movies

Top Videos

  1. Revenge
  2. The Big Bang Theory
  3. Modern Family
  4. Days of our Lives
  5. Young and the Restless
more top videos