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| PREVIOSULY AT FILM FORUM | |||||
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A film by Philip Gröning
“Exhilarating.”– Jay Weissberg, Variety |
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| “The psychology and philosophy of asceticism are not Mr. Groning’s concern. He is after something more elusive and,
from an aesthetic as well as an intellectual point of view, more valuable: a point of contact with the spiritual content of intense religious commitment… The film has more than lovely alpine vistas and arresting compositions of light and shade. Like the monks themselves, it is both humble and exalted. And, in its way, eloquent… By the end, what you have learned
is impossible to sum up, but your sense of the world is nonetheless perceptibly altered. I hesitate, given the early date and the project’s modesty, to call INTO GREAT SILENCE one of the best films of the year. I prefer to think of it as the antidote to all of the others.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times "Engrossing, entrancing, enlivening… Philip Gröning brings us inside a world as mysterious and often as silent as the dark side of the moon." – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times “Extraordinary! Creates a surprising sort of meditative suspense.” – Logan Hill, New York Magazine “A masterful object of contemplation… always with the promise of revelation and transcendence. Offers up some striking and unforgettable parallels between religious and artistic struggle.” – Keith Uhlich, Slant Magazine “One of those rare celluloid experiences that truly transports us into another world. More than any film outside Bresson, this non-judgmental document allows us to feel the spirituality of the ecstatic privations guiding their journey.” – Trevor Johnston, Time Out London “This is a film not about silence, but about the heightened perception that comes with a pure quality of attention...” – Catherine Wheatley, Sight + Sound “A German documentary about Roman Catholic monks who barely utter a word, INTO GREAT SILENCE runs 162 minutes – 162 engrossing, entrancing, enlivening minutes… Philip Gröning brings us inside a world as mysterious and often as silent as the dark side of the moon, a charterhouse of Carthusian monks in the French Alps. Founded in the 12th century, the Carthusians are among the most rigorous of all Catholic orders… In an overwhelmingly noisy world, the Carthusians seek God in solitude; all things considered, including the inevitable tranquility and focus of their lives, you soon understand why... Through unrushed rhythms and a harmonious mise-en-scene, Mr. Gröning finds beauty in a mote of dust, a patch of newly tilled earth and the long white eyebrows that hang over an aged blind monk’s eyes like a curtain. Grace, it seems, makes little noise.” – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times Germany • 2006 • 162 minutes • In French & Latin with English Subtitles • Zeitgeist Films
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