I had only watched one other Romanian film before, and that was the abortion nightmare, "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days," which was as stark and gritty as could be. Now this one, entitled "Beyond the Hills," also came with good recommendations. I was surprised to learn after watching that these two films were done by the same director, Cristian Mungiu.
"Beyond the Hills" is a strange film set in rural Romania, in the strict confines of an Orthodox monastery. It was about a nun Volchita and her old friend (maybe even her lover?) from the orphanage, Alina. Alina came over to Volchita's monastery for a visit, but her arrival turns their serene monastic existence into extreme turmoil. What is wrong with Alina? Is she epileptic? Is she psychotic? Is she possessed?
This movie is not really about Alina's nebulous condition rather than about the tense atmosphere director Cristian Mungiu creates for us the audience to immerse in. This film may seem to be Mungiu's exposition against the Orthodox church and its strict antiquated ways. However, the priest and the nuns were shown to be genuinely concerned about Alina despite her unpredictable disruptive ways.
This film has a thought-provoking concluding scene that speaks volumes about what the whole movie was about despite its simplicity. Overall, this movie was interesting as a sociological study, but like Mungiu's controversial first film, this is not for everybody.
"Beyond the Hills" is a strange film set in rural Romania, in the strict confines of an Orthodox monastery. It was about a nun Volchita and her old friend (maybe even her lover?) from the orphanage, Alina. Alina came over to Volchita's monastery for a visit, but her arrival turns their serene monastic existence into extreme turmoil. What is wrong with Alina? Is she epileptic? Is she psychotic? Is she possessed?
This movie is not really about Alina's nebulous condition rather than about the tense atmosphere director Cristian Mungiu creates for us the audience to immerse in. This film may seem to be Mungiu's exposition against the Orthodox church and its strict antiquated ways. However, the priest and the nuns were shown to be genuinely concerned about Alina despite her unpredictable disruptive ways.
This film has a thought-provoking concluding scene that speaks volumes about what the whole movie was about despite its simplicity. Overall, this movie was interesting as a sociological study, but like Mungiu's controversial first film, this is not for everybody.