Best movie of this year hands down!

So much average

Pretty Good

best movie i've ever seen.

I left the Catholic faith when I was twelve. This brilliant film brought it all back. Once a Catholic priest called me a heretic when I asked him who made God. How amazing it was to see it all come back. Brilliant.

Of the over 300 films I watch a year this stands out as superlative - meticulously crafted and thought-provoking. The way it uses only its modest static camera and small ensemble to address very big issues: theology, sin, spirituality and abuse, anorexia, consent to treatment , you name it it's packed in here. For me most moving are the searing religious resonances and of course the Christian theme from its contemporary perspective. This ranks with the superb Krzysztof Kieslowski's Dekalog series in gut-wrenching poignancy. And it's not quite so simple as being about spiritual abuse and other forms of bullying, nor Is it merely about just cranky religious cults, and it's not a simple rejection of the existence of God. But it is in a way all that too at the same time. There's an uneasy agnostic ambiguity behind the deliciously dark humour. It is funny at times, but horrified half-laughs only came for me, until the film ends with a quirky almost facile gesture. The minimalism means the occasional camera moves are breathtaking to encounter, as is movement of the actors. The film manages to deliver a serious philosophical punch with a feather pillow, the blow leaving much to take home to nurse in thought and perhaps prayerful thought.The young girl is spellbinding as with her character's mother. So much is a left implicit in the acting - the strident priest in the beginning becomes a lot more difficult to read in one of the dramatic end sequences. As mentioned it doesn't shout as it shocks - the characters speak volumes by simple steps to the back of shot, or slipping in and out of frame.. In a tightly wound intense way it is like a play, but the filmic realism is still there and essential, comprising one of a host of elements that makes this such a nicely formed and profoundly moving work of art.

When I saw the reviews for this film I expected more then I received. Although nicely imagined, plot did not deliver what I expected. I found it a little bit unrealistic that case like this can be found in a modern day Germany. Of course, like most of European film makers, this film maker concentrated on a case which is more rare and not a regular occurrence. It is an exception in the modern Germany rather then the rule. That is what actually bothered me throughout this film.Acting was very good short of excellent.Like any film which deals with religion, this film also enters the realm of fanatic believers. In this case it is the Catholic faith. When will they make film about ISIL so we can see what a true fanaticism truly is?

Not many films get rated 10 by me, this one did. Because on top of being a perfectly told story: acting, cinematography, plot and anything else I would wish to find in a film. It's also speaking cinema. The film speaks with camera movements - yes there are almost no camera movements and when they do come they're hardly noticeable, but when they do arrive they speak volumes. They tell us the story and how the director feels about it. With finesse and mastery of his media rarely found in modern cinema. I don't want to overlook the superb acting, mainly the two leads - Lea Van Acken with a gut wrenching performance as the innocent and deeply religious Maria. And Franziska Weisz as her horrible fanatic mother who remains nameless. All the others do their share without a single false note. Such masterpieces are the reason I go to cinema festivals, finding two within two days made this year's Jerusalem Film Festival a success as far as I'm concerned. Look this one out and watch it, I couldn't recommend it highly enough.