Hadewijch

France

2009

120 Min

Color

2.35:1

French

Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
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CAST Julie Sokolowski, Yassine Salihine, David Dewaele, Karl Sarafidis, Brigitte Mayeux-Clerget, Michelle Ardenne, Sabrina Lechêne, Marie Castelain, Luc-François Bouyssonie

PROD DES Jean-Marc Tran Tan Ba

Toronto (Special Presentation): FIPRESCI Prize, London (French Revolutions), San Sebastián (Official Selection), New York, San Francisco (World Cinema), Transilvania (Supernova), Rotterdam (Spectrum), BAFICI (Trayectorias)

Synopsis

Céline is deeply in love with God, as her pious prayers attest. Her mother superior, however, has concerns about the young woman’s confused acts of abstinence and casts her from the convent to rethink her devotion. Bruno Dumont’s fifth feature is a cinematic meditation on the boundaries of faith, especially in a multicultural contemporary landscape privileging the physical, carnal and material. Céline goes from austerely ecumenical quarters back to a Parisian family home as emotionally barren as it is antiquely opulent. She gains entry to more complex cultural conditions, family dynamics and moral quandaries when she meets Yassine, a young Arab who lives in a late-model high-rise housing project. He assuages her loneliness and wants her as a lover, but her vow of chastity engenders a sense of confusion that inspires impulsive acts of petty crime. She goes along for the ride, but is more captivated by his older brother, Nassir, a fervent Muslim with whom she engages in halting theological discussion and ultimately joins in acts of religious extremism. The action veers to the Middle East and back, though tidy denouements aren’t to be found, as Dumont probes big questions in his dramatic narratives. As in his previous films—notably the unflinching L’Humanité and Twentynine Palms—signature themes of alienation, racial and sexual tension are present, though here, Dumont’s deliberate pacing, unerring, beautifully framed close-ups and flashes of violence include a welcome new element: a peculiar sense of hope. —Glen Helfand

Director

Bruno Dumont

Bruno Dumont is a filmmaker whose use of celluloid is a direct result of his intense desire to understand and make sense of the world around him. His downbeat dramas may not appeal to those who see only the negative in a cinematic world of stark reality, but viewers with the ability to see a glimmer of light in the darkness will surely connect with his sometimes bleak cinematic endeavors. A former philosophy professor who has turned his mind toward crafting confrontational films in which no aspect of modern society is out of bounds, Dumont has claimed that his films are the result of a noted effort to bring film back to the body in hopes of stirring the viewer’s emotions. His 1997 debut, The Life of Jesus, was not a literal retelling of the events of the life of the biblical Jesus, but a socially critical look at life in Northern France. Acclaimed worldwide for its affecting portrayal of bored street youth, the film opened many doors for the director, and it wasn’t long before he was crafting his sophomore effort, Humanity (1999). Influenced by such filmmakers as Bergman, Pasolini, and Fellini, Dumont’s ability to make the most mundane aspects of daily life into fascinating film subjects is largely the result of his early film career, in which his work on industrial films forced him to take interest in subjects he cared little about. In a similar manner, the molasses-like pace of Humanity forced viewers to witness the harrowing investigation of the rape and murder of a young girl by a detached police officer in an manner that effectively emphasized the mundane mechanics of the officer’s day-to-day routine. Once again the recipient of numerous festival awards, Dumont earned the the Grand Jury Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival for Humanity. Though it was increasingly obvious that his vision as a director was certainly not for all viewers, those who were affected by his films remained steadfast in their praise. For his third film, Dumont would separate his detractors from his supporters more than ever. A horrific isolationist meditation on violence that jarringly shatters its quiet first acts with a near unwatchable finale, Twentynine Palms follows an American photographer and an unemployed French woman as they frantically make love in the desert before their tentative paradise is effectively destroyed with a startling revelation. Whether you agree with Dumont’s theories on the human capacity for violence or not, odds are that you will be affected by his vision. —allmovie guide

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julia

2Feb12

In this work Dumont reduces the gap between spirituality and awareness even more. It's a film about the physical embodiment of faith as the truth. About the possibility to trust and become conscious. It's pity that in our days we can talk about it on screen only through extremism. Elevating!

Aaron Garrett

19Jan12

A really beautiful film for adults that doesn't judge it's characters. I thought the last fifteen minutes were exquisite. And the inevitable "Dumont moment" was more subtle than expected. It out Bresson's Bresson in some ways, without being misanthropic. Really surprised by this one. Also exquisitely shot and excellent use of music and sound.

Michael S. Templin and David Grillo like this

Michael S. Templin

5Feb12

"Dumont moment"

David Grillo

19Jan12

Here is a film I've grappled with since seeing it and it has since won me over. I don't think I'll forget it. Also what is the name of that band that plays with the accordion I remember moving back in forth rocking out in my seat quietly in a theater. Prob. my favorite captured performance by a band in any film I just love the way they shot that..

Aaron Garrett

6Feb12

The accordian scene is up there with the best filmed music scenes I've ever seen in a film. The way Dumont lets it go on and unfold is just amazing.
David Grillo

11Feb12

Have you seen the Life of Jesus? I was tempted to buy it without seeing it it's out on the Eureka Masters of cinema series.
Aaron Garrett

11Feb12

I haven't seen it, but I have seen an amazing sequence from it with young men riding minibikes through the woods. I've been meaning to rent it, but now that I see its out on Eureka I'll buy it. Thanks for the heads up.