Kites and Monsters: Continuity in Cultural Practices

Abstract

The ethnographic film Kites and Monsters follows Wayan Yoga, a Balinese boy diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, discovering the protective aspects of culture that may interact with developmental neuropsychiatric processes. At six years old, Wayan Yoga is energetic, loves to fly kites, and is obsessed with the monsters of Balinese mythology. His various movements cause his parents to seek diagnosis and treatment, but a stable cultural context that provides opportunities for normalization helps successfully guide Wayan into a well-adjusted and productive Balinese adulthood. Discussion addresses the special circumstances and opportunities that arise in longitudinal filming with a child maturing into adulthood. In closing, this chapter re-visits the “outcome paradox” in the cross-cultural study of mental illness and neuropsychiatric disorder.