China, Sichuan province, next to Tibet. A cramped room: faces fill up the frame, hanging on every word of a person who remains o -screen for a long time: the Boiling Water Lama, who dispenses advice and care to the faithful. In a few shots that slowly disclose the Lama’s appearance, an anthropology of medicine and popular beliefs unfolds, in which the pilgrims’ look at their guru and the Lama’s reception system are equally important. (N.L.)
Adiong Lu