The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
    • Shows & On demand
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureCinemaMovie reviews

Walk with Me

Walk with Me | Movie review
1 January 2018
Mersa Auda
Avatar
Mersa Auda
1 January 2018

Movie and show review

Mersa Auda

Walk with Me

★★★★★

Release date

5th January 2018

Links

TwitterFacebookWebsite

Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh is often regarded as a pioneer in popularising Buddhism in the West and in introducing the concept of mindfulness into the mainstream. Committed to spreading the message of living in peace with oneself and others, he travelled the world to teach, lead talks and write, thus becoming a celebrity. To make a documentary about such a man is no easy feat, especially considering the fact that he does not want to be idolised. Directors Max Pugh and Marc J Francis took on the challenge of capturing the master’s teachings in a way that would emphasise the message rather than the messenger.

Walk with Me is the result of three years of shooting within the Plum Village monastery in rural France. Set up in 1982 by Thich Nhat Hanh himself, this is the place where he retreated following a forced exile from Vietnam and where he still lives today. The monks of Plum Village have given up all worldly possessions to eliminate distractions and find the true, core self that lies beneath fleeting emotions. The high level of emotional intimacy at a group of monks’ initiation ritual sets the tone for the fly-on-the-wall documentary. Tears, long silences and heartwarming exchanges act as a soft entreaty to slow down and grasp the unique beauty of the present moment.

Benedict Cumberbatch lends his voice as passages from Thich Nhat Hanh’s early journals are included to add definition to the monks’ experiences.This is not a documentary that sets out to educate or offer facts on Zen Buddhism or the life of Thich Nhat Hanh. What it does convey is the atmosphere felt within the monastic community, opening a window into a different way of life. Everyone can enjoy Walk with Me as a tribute to the spiritual leader himself and to the practice of mindfulness, and for those less familiar with the context it can act as an invitation for further study.

The beauty of the production is that it is in synergy with the principles it hints at. The directors have clearly posed themselves the same questions as the monks in regards to attachment to outcome, the power of silence and awareness. They leave behind a traditional narrative style and make the whole community, as well as nature, the protagonist. Following the pace and rhythms of the monks, the soundtrack is limited to the music played in the monastery and the bells that ring at regular intervals as a reminder to be mindful.

Graceful and touching, Walk with Me transmits its message softly and discreetly, managing to become a meditation in itself.

★★★★★

Mersa Auda

Walk With Me is released nationwide on 5th January 2018.

Watch the trailer for Walk With Me here:

Related Itemsreview

More in Movie reviews

Imperial Blue

★★★★★
Guy Lambert
Read More

MLK/FBI

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Sing Me a Song

★★★★★
Abbie Grundy
Read More

A Night of Horror: Nightmare Radio

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Wonder Woman 1984

★★★★★
Jake Cudsi
Read More

Come Away

★★★★★
Sylvia Unerman
Read More

Murder Me, Monster

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

David Byrne’s American Utopia

★★★★★
Rosamund Kelby
Read More

Dreamland

★★★★★
Guy Lambert
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Mersa Auda

Walk with Me

★★★★★

Release date

5th January 2018

Links

TwitterFacebookWebsite

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Female filmmakers lead nominees for the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards
    Cinema
  • The Queen’s Gambit: A chess story that’s not about the moves but the motives
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • An interview with Ifrah Ismael: Tales from the Front Line and other stories
    Theatre
  • Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Jeremiah Fraites – Piano Piano
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • We Ask These Questions of Everybody: An interview with Amble Skuse and Toria Banks
    Theatre
  • Hello Cosmos – Dream Harder
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Public Domain at Southwark Playhouse
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Win a copy of Link on Blu-ray
    Competitions
  • Unlimited Festival at the Southbank Centre: Centre stage for diversity
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • WandaVision: Marvel’s charming sitcom proves an astounding success
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • The Queen’s Gambit: A chess story that’s not about the moves but the motives
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Undercover at Morpheus Show Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ten short literary collections to get you back into reading
    Literature
  • Mayor
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Brad’s Status | Movie review
Jupiter’s Moon | Movie review