Into Great Silence

By: Martyn Pedler
Date: 23rd May 07
Format: Cinema
Mood: Whimsical

What:
Into Great Silence

Where:
Cinema Nova

When:
Now showing

Watch the trailer:
Here

Win:
We have two double passes to Into Great Silence to give away. Email win@threethousand.com.au with the subject line: 'quiet please'

Remember what was said above about bloated running times and limited attention spans? Ignore it. New documentary Into Great Silence runs for nearly three hours, with almost no dialogue, little traditional character work, and no obvious dramatic tension – and without doubt, it’s one of the most memorable films in recent years.

The film follows the daily life of the monks of the Carthusian Order in France as they live in “the simplicity of God.” We watch as they silently prepare food, chop firewood, read their Bibles, and pray. Your attention will wax and wane, but that’s okay. Just like a drug movie can give you a contact high, this film induces a kind of meditative state, and when the monks light a single candle in an enormous, darkroom, or they play in the snow like giggling children, the film pops with life.

If you’re thinking of seeing the real-life horror paedophilia doco Deliver Us From Evil, then Into Great Silence might be the necessary antidote. It won’t be for everyone – but neither is God, right?