Wheel of Time (2005)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Centered

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

The Rafael Film Center in San Rafael is holding the exclusive premiereof Werner Herzog's latest documentary, Wheel of Time. This time, thecurious, fearless filmmaker follows a pilgrimage to a huge Buddhistfestival, held in India and Austria in 2002. Herzog sniffs around andcomes up with fascinating stories about the mandala (a colorful sand mapof the universe), painful methods of prayer, and a brief but fascinatinginterview with the Dalai Lama himself, who insists that each personbelieves that he or she is the center of his or her own universe. Asalways, Herzog comes up with some unique and often ridiculous humanbehavior in the midst of all this peace and tolerance.