Imagine a world where dreams and Magna Doodled astrology set you on a journey to find a deceased loved one who has come back to life in the form of a chubby baby.

Sounds like fantasy land, right? Well, it might for you, but this 700 year-old tradition is real-life drama in Nati Baratz’s documentary Unmistaken Child, a story about a Tibetan monk named Tenzin Zopa who goes on a four-year odyssey to find his reincarnated master—and ultimately to mend his broken heart.

Only seven when he was taken under Lama Konchog’s wing, Tenzin spent the next 21 years following his master. In rarely seen footage, we’re invited to watch the Lama’s cremation ceremony, which is where we meet the 28 year-old disciple at his most vulnerable, looking completely lost and forlorn. Following Buddhist tradition, a great spiritual master’s death leaves relics of pearls, a symbol of purity and enlightenment. Lama Konchog’s cremation does not disappoint: Sifting through ash, the monks find the pearls, but they also discover another sign—a footprint pointing eastbound. And so with one ending comes a new beginning, a rite of passage for the young disciple left behind. We witness a boy who becomes a man, a follower who becomes a leader.

Introducing the Western world to the esoteric concept of reincarnation and the seldom seen Tibetan way of life were challenges the Israeli director was well aware of but believed made the project all the more captivating. “I wanted to take people to a deep and intimate quest in another culture in hopes that it might be a life changing experience,” he explains. Ultimately, though, it is the gentle and humble protagonist that brings the elements together. “The heart of this film was the faith and love of Tenzin Zopa, and this is what made it larger than life,” he says.

The enchanting otherworldliness that permeates the film is what makes Tenzin’s character so poignant—because even though his life and faith seem to be in another realm, we can empathize with his humanity. Like us, he wrestles with his fears and self-doubt. In one difficult scene, he breaks down upon arriving at his master’s shelter in the mountains. Baratz had originally considered not including this shot: “Sure you should have compassion tears, but for a Buddhist monk to shed tears because he’s missing his master shows attachment.” (Attachment, according to the faith, is the root of suffering.). In the end, though, both the director and the monk decide to leave what transpired intact.

Through this mystical and breathtaking journey—with its untouched mountains, crystal clear still waters, steep valleys, and serene village life—Tenzin meanders from village to village asking locals if they know of any young children with unusual gifts. He kindly offers candy to grubby faced toddlers and with fatherly patience, waits to see if they react to the sight of his master’s rosary beads. Day after day, child after child, he finds nothing. Until one vivacious baby boy catches his eye and soon after, his heart.

While the authenticity of the child falls in the hands of the Lamas and the Dalai Lama to decide, the director’s intent isn’t to convince us in believing the outcome or reincarnation in general. “I tried to give the audience the right distance and opportunity to gain their own understanding and belief regarding the subject matter,” he points out. But what skeptic and believer can undoubtedly agree on is that Unmistaken Child is a story about faith, hope, and above all else, love.

Unmistaken Child is screening at Film Forum thru June 16th.