Brad Pitt is not in Myanmar

“I think a lot of people have responded to the film because it's not through the eyes of a Westerner. You’re not coming there being like, ‘Oh, wow, what is this?’ Like seeing it through the blue eyes of a Brad Pitt or something. It's just there! And it's been there for hundreds of years— for millennia. And it will be there for millennia. It simply is, in a way.”

'Golden Kingdom,' a film by Brian Perkins, is a unique meditation on the lives of Buddhist novices in Shan State, Myanmar. Brian's personal practice of meditation heavily influenced the artistic choices in the film, allowing for extended scenes of monks meditating and creating space for silence. The story takes a nonlinear and dreamlike approach, blending Burmese folk elements with reality and presenting a childlike perspective through the young novices' eyes. The film challenges Western narrative expectations and explores the concept of karma across lifetimes. Despite numerous challenges in filming, including finding his name on a government blacklist, Brian's dedication to capturing authenticity led to working with local villagers and actual monks.

Brian's quote here, taken from a recent podcast discussion, highlights the tendency of Hollywood films to superimpose existing prejudices and stereotypes on their portrayals of foreign cultures. Hollywood has often depicted non-Western cultures through the lens of Western perspectives, perpetuating stereotypes and exoticizing them. For example, in many movies, we see Western actors playing the lead roles in stories set in non-Western countries, reinforcing the notion of the "white savior" narrative. This approach can diminish the authenticity and richness of the cultures being portrayed.

In contrast, Brian's film, 'Golden Kingdom,' deviates from this trend by presenting the story from an insider's perspective. By working closely with local villagers and actual monks, he captures the simplicity and timelessness of their existence without imposing Western perspectives. This approach allows the audience to experience the culture on its own terms, without the filter of external biases.