Lourdes

Man...religion is so weird. Beautiful movie though.

pilgrim of the year

felicita, the last dance, (yes, there is dance in each of her films) was very cruel, poignant. more like haneke than dreyer or bunuel.

A textbook film of transcendental style. Static shots, isolated characters-objects, flatness of image, monotonous yet religious/spiritual content, all of which turns into a miraculous effect of life-affirmation and ecstasy. Like noted in Marx's critique of religion, Christine's (notice the name) profane-materialist attitude towards belief and life becomes the "hope of a hopeless" and the "heart of a heartless world." Also, a strong balance of humor/critique & belief and affirmation. Great.

a quadriplegic woman travels to a pilgrimage, a place where all sorts of people go in order to improve themselves, or hopefully get cured. sympathetic religiosity with an interesting narrative progression, but somewhat stuck in that awkward position between providing naturalist portrayal and creating aesthetic beauty. i love sylvie testud.

"A deliberately paced examination of Catholic mysticism with sharp sprinkles of magical realism." - Joseph Jon Lanthier

Hausner's schematic approach to debunking religion is predictable and unfunny.

Slow, human drama that is full of unspoken simmering emotions hidden under the surface. An engaging and thought provoking watch.

In many ways your usual clinical Euro-arthouse fare in the Haneke/Dumont mode, but well done for what it is. It helps that i would probably be happy just to watch Sylvie Testud look at stuff for an entire movie, and having Elina Lowensohn around never hurt either. The film manages to strike an interesting, pointedly neutral tonal balance, avoiding the easy, cynical condescension of Seidl at his worst (see Jesus, You Know) while also never really delving into Bressonian spirituality either.

A remarkable performance from Testud carries this quiet, observant film. Director Hausner dwells in the realm of mystery, neither confirming nor denying the reality of the miraculous, and as such shows us how a place the faithful associate with hope can also become a place of profound uncertainty. Such uncertainty is disorienting, while the faith required to embrace the miraculous is shown to be quite the high calling indeed. Excellent film that provides much to think about.

Young woman, almost completely paralyzed by MS, goes to Lourdes to pray for a miracle (also because pilgrimage is pretty much the only way to get out of the house when you're confined to a wheelchair). What happens when it looks like she actually gets what she's praying for? Slow but not too slow, lets people say one thing - everyone's a devout catholic, specifically there to be heard - and then lets the camera say more. Or less, as the case may be. Fair, ambiguous, tragicomic, beautiful.