Austerity, Silence, Faith...What's Not to Love?!?
This week I was blessed to see a wondrous (in the true sense of the word) film called Stellet Licht ( Silent Light) by director Carlos Reygadas (Mexico, 2007). There is so much of interest in it. It is the first film to be made with the dialogue in Plautdietsch, a German dialect used by the Mennonites. It also featured non-professional actors-- this made for extremely interesting energy. Not only is the film cinematically gorgeous, it is aurally stimulating, something I won't try to qualify because I cannot do it justice. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but its climax in particular echoes Carl Dreyer's Ordet (Denmark, 1955) very closely; I am now going to have to re-watch that classic! I read that it was not a religious film but only about a religious community, but I disagree--it is a profoundly religious film about spiritual crisis, redemption and miracles. However, I think it works because it is not preachy or sacchrine, probably because it uses acting neo...