Zen (2009 film)

"Zen" is a 2009 film directed by Banmei Takahashi and starring Nakamura Kantarō II as Dogen, and Yuki Uchida as Orin.^[1][2]

The film is a biography of Dōgen Zenji (道元禅師) (19 January 1200 – 22 September 1253), a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher. After travelling to China to study, Dogen founded the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. The Buddhist Film Foundation described it as "a poignant, in-depth, reverent and surprisingly moving portrait of Eihei Dogen."^[3]

Reception

Russell Edwards of Variety described it as "The origins of a spiritual tradition are depicted with prerequisite solemnity and a pleasing veneer of arthouse showmanship."^[4] Mark Schilling, writing for The Japan Times, gave the film three and a half stars and described it as a "rare serious film about this form of Buddhism, which has had a huge cultural influence but is little understood — let alone practiced — by ordinary Japanese."^[5]

Release

The film premiered in Japan in 2009. The following year, it had its US debut at the International Buddhist Film Festival.^[6] The film was released on DVD and includes a short documentary entitled The Zen of Dogen with Kazuaki Tanahashi.^[7]

References

1. "Zen - Reviews, Movie Trailers, Cast & Crew. Movies at Film.com". Retrieved 27 July 2010.
2. Ouellette, Kevin (15 May 2009). "DVD release - Zen (Amuse Soft Entertainment) available on 6/25/2009". Nippon Cinema. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
3. "Zen". The Buddhist Film Foundation. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
4. "Zen". Variety. January 25, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
5. "Zen". The Japan Times. January 16, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
6. "IBFF Showcase 2010". The Buddhist Film Foundation. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
7. "New Film Zen, Now on DVD". The Buddhist Film Foundation. Retrieved September 23, 2015.

External links

• Zen at the Internet Movie Database
• Zen at Rotten Tomatoes