Conrad Rooks' sensuous adaptation of Hermann Hesse's Nobel Prize-winning and cult novel still holds up in its tranquil exploration of one's inner self. The story follows a wealthy young Brahmin who discards his possessions, rejects his life of aristocratic leisure and becomes a seeker of wisdom. It blends a search for the meaning of life through Hinduism and Buddhism, and ends up with a universal message for finding wisdom. Siddhartha examines his own roots and feels stagnant following the religious practices of his father, and after meeting and rejecting a guru in his retreat to the forest, he accidentally meets the Buddha.
Shot among the rolling hillocks of northern India, the golden-hued by Sven Nykvist (Ingmar Bergman's long-time collaborator), perfectly suits Hesse's mind-expanding narrative. Siddhartha is poignant and inspirational, combining hedonism and spirituality. Its visual beauty is compelling; its emotions are kindled from within, as it takes off from the source of its literary roots and becomes a pure cinematic experience.