Daughters of Dolma 2011
Distributed by Kino International, 333 W. 39th St., Ste. 503, New York, NY 10018; (800) 562-3330
Produced by Adrian Szaki
Directed by Adam Miklos
DVD , color, 70 min.
Sr. High - General Adult
Adolescence, Anthropology, Asia, Gender, Religion
Date Entered: 06/20/2014
Reviewed by Ryan Luce, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Buffalo, NYDaughters of Dolma is a 2011 documentary chronicling female Buddhist monks in Nepal. The documentary is very well paced, showing that monks are just regular people that have devoted their lives to Buddha’s teachings. It looks at a number of the monks and their views on Buddha and the differences between how gender is viewed in other parts of the world. The most interesting part is seeing the older monks side by side with their parents, and listening to what they say about their children.
The most compelling aspect is seeing young children who are monks at the age of 5 and their deep devotion at such a young age. This reflects back to the candid confessions they make early in the documentary when they have faced doubt and the fear of making the wrong life choice at such an early age.
Daughters of Dolma is highly recommended for showing aspects of Buddhist monks you would not see otherwise. This feature allows us to highly understand who they are as people and what they do in everyday life, from fierce debates to lighter moments, acknowledging that they have daily struggles just as we all do.