Buddha's Lost Children

The documentary begins as a feature film in the tradition of The Mission: on a mountain path high in the greenly veiled mountains of Northern Thailand, a monk rides on horseback in the early, misty morning hours. His name is Abbot Phra Khru Bah and for fifteen years this travelling monk receives uprooted and orphaned children in the destitute, inaccessible Thai-Burmese border region, known as the Golden Triangle and renowned for its drug smuggling. One of the reasons Khru Bah manages to stand his ground here is his past as a Thai boxing champion. He teaches the neglected children not only to ride horse, meditate and be hygienic; he also trains them in his martial art to make them more able-bodied. Khru Bah is revered; wherever he arrives, the whole village turns out. For one year, director Mark Verkerk was allowed to follow the work and life of this remarkable monk, his followers and his helping hand, the nun Khun Mae Ead, producing an interesting portrait of the man, the children and the surroundings, often featuring breathtaking footage.