It's free and easy. A small masterpiece, it turns out. You don't have to know the Dalai Lama's life story to enjoy it. The movie is also a primer in sophisticated camera work and scene composition.
Several scenes are jaw-drop amazing.
The film is the better for it. One may quibble with several things. Nothing actually is spelled out of these teachings except in passing reference or visual shorthand. For those familiar with Dharma teachings or Tibetan cultural practices, this makes the film all the more elegaic. Yet Scorcese's reticence to explain will no doubt lose some viewers and several critics have faulted it on that score.