The preservation of ancient cultures is continually at odds with foreign economic players. From the moment man was able to travel vast distances across land and sea, colonization and unethical political behavior has persistently reshaped, or altogether destroyed, the traditions and livelihoods of indigenous peoples. These heinous acts have mostly been met by strong willed yet weakly armed resistances and they have shown there is no community unreachable. Most of these communities have failed to protect themselves due to the unwillingness of other nations to assist in their conservation. It can be difficult for a single individual to feel they can make an impact, so they commit to the bystander effect and fail to realize they have the skills to be an agent of change.
Martin Scorsese decided to use his skills as a director to bring a renewed call to action for the people of Tibet through his making of Kundun. Scorsese was impressed by the Tibetan culture and how "they're at the top of the world, the roof of the world, they don't go out, they go in, and that's something that in the West I think we need more of, more centering in ourselves, in our lives" ("Dreams of Tibet"). His desire to represent the Tibetan people to the West through his skill of film portrayal allowed him to produce an emotional connection with American audiences toward Tibet.
Given Scorsese's extensive use of the camera's point of view during the Dalai Lama's childhood, he turns a biographical film into a more engaging drama. Allowing the viewer to take a direct look into the emotional reactions of the elder monks as the Dalai Lama selected his belongings as a toddler; Scorsese brings a new element to the story of the 14th incarnation of the Dalai Lama. He presents a viewpoint that even the Dalai Lama himself, assuming he is as human as the next person, could not describe in an autobiography or in a one-on-one interview.
