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Family. It’s a constant among cultures all around the globe, with love and respect for elders going back centuries. For some, the stories they tell and the wisdom they impart can inspire future generations. In return, their kin and descendants do their best to honor their final wishes when the time comes. In Mola: A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss, we see the tale of a woman of faith, her family, and how important those connections are.
source: YangZoom Films
Kunsang Wangmo – known affectionately to her family as “Mola” – is a Buddhist nun who fled from Tibet in 1959 to escape the Chinese occupation. For the past 45 years, she has lived in Switzerland with her daughter Sonam Brauen and Sonam’s husband, Martin Brauen (co-director of the film). Still as devout as ever, Mola’s days are filled with prayer and meditation, as well as laughing, cooking, and loving her family. As her 100th birthday approaches, she decides that her last wish is to die in Tibet. Martin contacts the Chinese embassy, but as the months pass, the family begins to worry. Will they be able to make Mola’s final wish come true?
An Intimate Family Affair
Co-directed by Martin and his daughter Yangzom, Mola is a story of love, faith, and overcoming all obstacles with the love and support of family. We learn about Mola’s early life, her escape to India with her family, and how Martin was able to bring her and Sonam to Switzerland. We’re treated to archive footage as well as firsthand accounts from Mona and the people who love her most. From Mona helping in the kitchen to the day she met the Dalai Lama, we follow her on the last leg of her earthly journey and root the whole way for her wish to be fulfilled. Along the way, we also see glimpses of how religion and international relations affect our world and how we communicate in it. Though it’s not a focus of the documentary, it’s nonetheless pertinent in today’s climate.
source: YangZoom Films
For obvious reasons, Yangzom and Martin approach the subject matter with such a loving touch and a reverence for Mola and the long, eventful life that she’s lived. Even at 100, she still possesses a youthful spirit that charms you and invests you in her story. As crucial as it was for her to get back to Tibet, though, something missing was the urgency of fulfilling this wish. However, the time spent telling Mola’s backstory and the struggles and tragedy she and her family endured maintain your attention throughout.
Mola: Have Faith and Be Rewarded
Mola is an intimate, very personal look into this family’s life, and it will leave you touched by their shared experience. Although this is not a subject that will typically engage the casual documentary viewer, those who are interested may nonetheless find themselves fulfilled.
Mola: A Tibetan Story of Love and Loss screened at South By Southwest Film Festival.
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