Ub Lama

Panting through the cold, folded hills of Mongolia, is the lone figure of young Galaa. His father dead in a tragic accident, a mother who looks twice her age, he yearns for a better life. Like any youngster Galaa is drawn to wrestling, rap, junk food and online dating. Yet he does exude an urge to help others, to "protect them from pain" and the quiet ways of Buddhism may save him. The tension between old and new, godly and worldy, are embodied in this child. In the marketplace Galaa is an adept wheeler dealer. He shrugs off the indifference of other traders to turn a quick buck. Yet he wants to honour his father's memory and be the best he can be for his mother. At a special remembrance service for his father an ugly fight breaks out as Galaa tries to siphon off some rice to save for others. Galaa's anguish rises painfully to the surface. "Just join the monastery" beseeches his mother quietly.