Lama Norbu comes to Seattle in search of the reincarnation of his dead teacher, Lama Dorje. His search leads him to young Jesse Conrad, Raju, a waif from Kathmandu, and an upper class ...
See full summary »
Jimmy Kimmel may be hosting, but let IMDb be your guide to the Oscars with winner updates, photos from the red carpet, exclusive video interviews, and more.
Related News
Jeremy Thomas condemns ban on Bhutanese drama 'Hema Hema'
30 January 2017 9:00 AM, +02:00 | ScreenDaily
30 January 2017 9:00 AM, +02:00 | ScreenDaily
New to Streaming: ‘Pete’s Dragon,’ Pedro Almodóvar, ‘Train to Busan,’ ‘The Bfg,’ and More
2 December 2016 5:53 PM, +02:00 | The Film Stage
2 December 2016 5:53 PM, +02:00 | The Film Stage
Exclusive Teaser for Kyentse Norbu’s Toronto Film Festival Movie ‘Hema Hema’ [Video]
3 September 2016 10:35 PM, +02:00 | Variety - Film News
3 September 2016 10:35 PM, +02:00 | Variety - Film News
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Connect with IMDb
Share this Rating
Title: Little Buddha (1993)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
2 wins & 3 nominations.
See more awards »
Photos
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
L'assedio
(1998)
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Bernardo Bertolucci
Stars:
Thandie Newton,
David Thewlis,
Claudio Santamaria
The Sheltering Sky
(1990)
Adventure
|
Drama
Director:
Bernardo Bertolucci
Stars:
Debra Winger,
John Malkovich,
Campbell Scott
Stealing Beauty
(1996)
Drama
|
Mystery
|
Romance
Director:
Bernardo Bertolucci
Stars:
Jeremy Irons,
Liv Tyler,
Carlo Cecchi
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Bernardo Bertolucci
Stars:
Ugo Tognazzi,
Anouk Aimée,
Laura Morante
The Last Emperor
(1987)
Biography
|
Drama
|
History
Director:
Bernardo Bertolucci
Stars:
John Lone,
Joan Chen,
Peter O'Toole
La commare secca
(1962)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Bernardo Bertolucci
Stars:
Francesco Ruiu,
Giancarlo De Rosa,
Vincenzo Ciccora
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
Stephen Kay
Stars:
Thomas Jane,
Keanu Reeves,
Adrien Brody
Providence
(1991)
Director:
David Mackay
Stars:
JD Cullum,
Yvonne de la Vega,
David Greenlee
Strategia del ragno
(1970)
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Bernardo Bertolucci
Stars:
Giulio Brogi,
Alida Valli,
Pippo Campanini
A Walk in the Clouds
(1995)
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Alfonso Arau
Stars:
Keanu Reeves,
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón,
Anthony Quinn
Tune in Tomorrow...
(1990)
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
Jon Amiel
Stars:
Barbara Hershey,
Keanu Reeves,
Peter Falk
Feeling Minnesota
(1996)
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Steven Baigelman
Stars:
Keanu Reeves,
Vincent D'Onofrio,
Cameron Diaz
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Keanu Reeves | ... | ||
 |
Ruocheng Ying | ... |
Lama Norbu
(as Ying Ruocheng)
|
| Chris Isaak | ... | ||
|
|
Alex Wiesendanger | ... |
Jesse Conrad
|
|
|
Raju Lal | ... |
Raju
|
|
|
Greishma Makar Singh | ... |
Gita
|
|
|
Sogyal Rinpoche | ... |
Kenpo Tenzin
|
|
|
Ven. Khyongla Rato Rinpoche | ... |
Abbot
|
| Bridget Fonda | ... |
Lisa Conrad
|
|
|
|
Ven. Geshe Tsultim Gyelsen | ... |
Lama Dorje
|
| Jo Champa | ... |
Maria
|
|
|
|
Jigme Kunsang | ... |
Champa
|
|
|
Thubtem Jampa | ... |
Punzo
|
| Surekha Sikri | ... |
Sonali
(as Surehka Sikri)
|
|
|
|
T.K. Lama | ... |
Sangay
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (15) »
Storyline
Lama Norbu comes to Seattle in search of the reincarnation of his dead teacher, Lama Dorje. His search leads him to young Jesse Conrad, Raju, a waif from Kathmandu, and an upper class Indian girl. Together, they journey to Bhutan where the three children must undergo a test to prove which is the true reincarnation. Interspersed with this, is the story of Siddharta, later known as the Buddha. It traces his spiritual journey from ignorance to true enlightenment. Written by Samantha Santa Maria <[email protected]>
Plot Keywords:
buddhism | reincarnation | enlightenment | bare chested male | nonlinear timeline |Taglines:
A magical journey to a place where the past and the present meet.Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
1 December 1993 (France) See more »Also Known As:
Lille Buddha See more »Box Office
Budget:
$35,000,000 (estimated)Gross:
$4,858,139 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
Lama Norbu: Once upon a time, in a village in ancient India, there was a little goat and a priest. The priest wanted to sacrifice the goat to the gods. He raised him arm to cut the goat's throat, when suddenly the goat began to laugh. The priest stopped, amazed, and asked the goat, "why do you laugh? Don't you know I'm about to cut your throat?" "Oh yes," said the goat. "After 499 times dying and being reborn as a goat, I will be reborn as a human being." Then the little goat began to cry. The...
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
In January 1996, 3 years after this movie was released, a 4-year-old boy from Seattle actually was chosen as the reincarnation of beloved Lama Deschund Rinpochet, and relocated to Nepal to be groomed as a spiritual teacher. See more »Goofs
Early in the movie, when Kenpo and the 3 other Tibetan monks are driving north on the top level of WA-99 the movie cuts to a separate shot of the same group now traveling north on Interstate-5 and then again south on the lower level of the WA-99 viaduct. However, as the scene continues, the group ends up atop the Queen Anne neighborhood, which is a northern part of Seattle. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Lama Norbu: Once upon a time, in a village in ancient India, there was a little goat and a priest. The priest wanted to sacrifice the goat to the gods. He raised him arm to cut the goat's throat, when suddenly the goat began to laugh. The priest stopped, amazed, and asked the goat, "why do you laugh? Don't you know I'm about to cut your throat?" "Oh yes," said the goat. "After 499 times dying and being reborn as a goat, I will be reborn as a human being." Then the little goat began to cry. The...
[...]
See more »
Bertolucci is a director who doesn't keep making the same movie.
Little Buddha has much about it that can be praised. It shows much, tells some, and demands of the viewer some thought. This is not something always appreciated by the viewer. The key to understanding this movie, I believe, is not the search for the reincarnation of an important Buddhist teacher, nor is it the life of the Buddha up to the time he achieves enlightenment, but the way a child, or children, and an old man, come to understand together something of the connections that may exist between themselves. We don't see through a character's eyes, we watch the effects of the characters on each other. In particular, Jesse, the 9 year old American who may or may not be the reincarnation, holds our attention because we watch him absorb the lessons that are being taught, and as he learns them, he grows in ways we can expect a 9 year old to grow. We also watch his father, whose character becomes more sympathetic as the movie progresses, who has even further to grow than his son, because he has already learned too much.
The movie is also beautiful to watch. The cinematography, the editing and the direction combine to provide just the right dramatic tension to a movie whose pacing is deceptive, in that it seems slow, but is not. The ultimate result is that a viewer who allows it, will find him or herself transported for a little while, to unexpected places.