Blessings: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet

Victress Hitchcock puts a new spin on femme-power films with Blessings, a documentary following a group of American women to Nangchen, a nomadic region in Tibet, in search of Tsokyni Nangchen nuns. 

The extraordinary thing about these nuns is that they’ve kept a culture alive that was literally almost burned to the ground during China’s Cultural Revolution in the 60s. These nuns are living off the land and still practicing the yogic traditions of the 19th century.

Blessings has a refreshing narrative quality. Rather than being blasted with a disembodied voice-over to transition between segments, the interviews flow well. The documentary is informative, yet it provides comic relief by showing how the American women, who were used to having electricity and toilet paper, dealt with the conversion to a nomadic lifestyle.

 At one point, in order to expose the Chinese nuns to American culture, the women sing “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.” The moment is both hilarious and heartwarming—definitely something that makes the film worth watching.

4:15 p.m. Nov. 14 at Starz FilmCenter

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