Posted By: Patrick Hickey
Posted On: February 28, 2011
Inspired by Bill Porter’s search for traditional Chinese hermits outlined in the highly acclaimed book Road to Heaven, Edward Burger continues the search via the visual format of film. The subject matter lends itself to the vivid images captured over repeated expeditions into China’s Zhongnan Mountains. Burger carries viewers into the world of the elusive Buddhist and Daoist monks and their search for meaning through simplicity and isolation. From first hand accounts surrounding various beliefs on the path to enlightenment to detailed explanations of fetching drinking water, Clouds provides a thorough understanding of daily life in the Mountains. Sweeping panoramas expose the beauty of the region while the subtle soundtrack enhances the films content.
Amongst White Clouds is not overtly didactic and most certainly has a place in the upper level secondary classroom. The film offers a majestic examination of rural religious culture and provides a complementary counterpoint to bustling urban experience of 21st Century China.