Saw it last night. Wow, it was really something. Do go see it if you can.
Don't go in expecting a normal documentary - the title is very apt. Such silence in a movie theater was perhaps a bit unnerving at first, but letting the action (and the silence) have its own sound was a good directorial decision. If the film had the typical things you expect from a documentary, like a voiceover by a narrator, soundtrack, etc., these things would have the detrimental effect of giving a certain detachment and distance. In fact, Groening's omission of such interferences and distractions allows you to enter into the life of the monastery in a very direct, unmediated, and engrossing way.
Here's the Washington Post's editorial review. Photos are from the movie's official website (hier auf Deutsch).
Notes on language -
One of the reader reviewers notes that the English subtitles for the (few) times when people are speaking are not very good translations. My ear for French is not that good, but I noticed that at the places where you see French, German, and English on the screen, the first two are comparable, but the English translation is decidedly inferior. A minor detail - you'll still get the point. But if you know French or German, don't bother with the subtitles.
And yes, I could understand what they were saying in Latin. You still can get the gist of what's going on even if you don't hear the words, but for me it was extra neat that Catholics from all different countries and I are on the same page since we all speak the Church's language. I remember hearing a bit of Ps. 97 (I think) among others; the Canticle of the Three Young Men from Daniel (Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord); during the Eucharistic procession they sang the Te Deum and then part of the Pange Lingua.
Comments