With Hollywood continuing its creative demise (how many Spidermen do we really need?), truly creative stories now come from elsewhere — Europe, Canada, Asia, etc. If you follow Asian cinema, you might have already seen Nobody, the animated film from China. If not, you can watch it on YouTube like I did.

You will need to read subtitles, and the beginning will seem slow (or rather, an unfamiliar rhythm), but stick with it. This might be one of the most profound stories you watch. And if you are familiar with Chinese literature (Journey to the West) and/or key concepts in Buddhism, even more so.

Spoiler alert. Don’t read further if you have not yet watched it.

This is the story of finding yourself as you lose everything. I find this main tenet of Buddhism both endearing and terrifying. You arrive by disappearing. You are in the process of becoming nobody.

I see this unfolding in my life, and it is at times very hard to stay grounded while losing the ground. You have to keep seeing the reality from multiple perspectives, trust the process, have faith, trust that you will hear what the right thing to do is and then do it. And also realise that there is no reward at the end of it all, you will likely never achieve a specific destination, or goal, or point.

Most of our culture says: Become someone. Build an identity. Achieve. Be remembered. Leave a legacy. Buddhism quietly asks: What if the root of your suffering is you needing to become someone?

The terrifying part is that the path feels like loss. You lose identities that once held your self together. Ambition. Certainty. Desires and dreams you’ve cherished for years. It can seem that you’re becoming less. And yet, somehow, it feels right. From the Buddhist perspective, you’re shedding everything that is not you.

You go from What is my purpose? to How can I express what’s already here? And then before you know it, it’s game over. And you may think you have not achieved much in life, but who knows. You were here for a reason, even if you can’t see what it was.

And that is the process of becoming Nobody. Enjoy watching the film.