Lourdes

Aroview: A subdued, open-ended account of pilgrimage and the credibility of miracles, this measured drama stars the always-excellent Sylvie Testud as a multiple sclerosis sufferer who travels to the titular Pyrenees town of worship in the hope of curing her disability.

Dir. Hausner, shooting in a studied, almost-calculated style reminiscent of her Austrian contemporary Michael Haneke, maintains a wonderfully detached atmosphere that is perhaps the film’s best quality, for it invites the viewer in while constantly raising questions about the workings of the Catholic church and collective faith. Indeed, it is the thoughtful, non-judgmental tone which makes this both a mystery of the unexplained, and an edifying, if absurdly revealing look at modern religious devotion.

NZ International Film Festival 2010

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