All hail Hadewijch
Hadewijch
Fresh from the international film festival ciurcuit, Hadewijch is sure to provoke.
Hadewijch is the final film in the First Look program's 'director as provocateur' trilogy. And they don't come much more provocative than French director Bruno Dumont.
Well-known for his controversial cinematic view in award-winning films such as Humanite and Flandres, Dumont has been described by various critics as "one of French cinemas's most illustrious provocateurs", and a "contentious Cannes-winning enfant terrible".
This latest offering is no exception, intertwining themes of love, commitment and religious salvation.
Taking its title from the 13th century poet and mystic who believed that love of God exceeded the more earthly variety, Hadewijch is the story of Céline (played by newcomer Julie Sokolowski), a deeply religious young woman suffering a crisis of faith.
Kicked out of a convent for taking her devotion to extremes, Céline is forced back into regular society in a narrative setup described by critic Michael Koresky as "like a brittle updating of The Sound of Music."
But there is no legion of singing children for Celine to tend - only the stifling Parisian apartment of her wealthy parents and a life in which she feels ill at ease. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with a poor Arab boy, Yassine, whose romantic overtures are quickly frustrated by Céline's pronouncements of chastity. Yassine introduces Céline to his brother, Nassir, "whose religious convictions resonate strangely with Céline's own, and her journey takes an unexpected turn."
Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, Hadewijch won the International Film Critics' (FIPRESCI) prize. Described by Time Out New York as "a must-see, both timely and personal", this audacious film is sure to divide audiences.
Hadewijch screens from Thursday 4 March to Sunday 7 March, 2010.
For session details click here.
Published Monday, 1 March 2010
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