Aprašas:
Už kalvų - dramos filmas apie dviejų jaunų moterų išsiskyrimą, kurios kartų užaugo būdamos našlaitėmis.
Alina
ir Voichita yra draugės nuo tų dienų kai jos tapo našlaitėmis.
Suaugusios šios dvi draugės tapo meilužėmis. Alina negalėdama pakęsti
skurdo emigravo į Vokietiją ir pradėjo dirbti baro darbuotoja. Tačiau
moteris negali gyventi atskirta nuo savo draugės, todėl jinai ketina
grįžti i Moldaviją ir atsivežti savo draugę. Grįžusi jinai sužino, kad
jos draugė Voichita tapo vienuolę ir ketina priimti įžadus.
Mano vertinimas: 7/10 (neblogai)
HJ apžvalga:
Beyond the Hills
is based on a news story from a few years back when an exorcism went
very wrong. Those involved had the best of intentions. Is that reason
enough to excuse their actions?
In the center of the story are
two young women, Voichita and Alina, who grew up together in an
orphanage. There they formed a very close bond. They supported and loved
each other. (At times it seems that Alina has romantic feelings for
Voichita.) Alina has since gone to Germany to work. She has come back to
get Voichita to join her in Germany. Voichita, however, has also moved
on, joining an Orthodox convent. Here, where women refer to the priest
and mother superior as Papa and Mama, she has found a place to belong
and a feeling of family. It will be a hard choice for Voichita: her best
friend or her new family.
There is almost a cult like feel to
the convent. The priest seems to be on the outs with the local bishop.
There is a very clear understanding of who belongs and who is an
outsider. When Alina shows up, she is obviously an outsider who brings a
threat to the community—taking one of their number away. Still, she is
treated well. When she shows signs of emotional or mental deterioration,
they first take her to the hospital. When she returns to the convent,
still intent on taking Voichita to Germany, she continues to
deteriorate. When there seems to be no other choice, the priest agrees
to perform the exorcism ritual. Alina is tied to a plank so she can be
controlled. As the ritual continues over a period of days, the fasting
required of her weakens her. The terrible results of all this will lead
to a police investigation. Only then do those involved understand just
how far they have gone.
This is the latest film from Cristian
Mungiu, one of the Romanian New Wave filmmakers. While many Romanian
films look back at the Communist period, this film is tied the present
in Romania. Romanian New Wave often seems as though it is seeking to be a
kind of therapy for the trauma of recent Romanian history. I suspect
that this film reflects present day issues in Romania (possibly
insularity or emigration), but I don't have enough knowledge of the
situation to comment on that.
There is a more universal theme
within this film. The motives of every character are to do good. Alina
wants to take Voichita to a new, more prosperous world. (Although there
are also some selfish reasons.) The convent is welcoming, and provides a
great deal of care for Alina as she falls apart. Even when the exorcism
begins and Alina is physically tied down, it is because they think this
will make her better. Are good motives an excuse for the ultimately
terrible results?
I suspect that within Romania, there have been
many with good motives, but whose actions turn out to be criminal. We
can expand this into the geopolitical realm as well. Pick a war of
recent years: Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, the fighting in
Syria, Serbia/Croatia. Those on both sides likely have good motives:
bringing freedom where there has been tyranny, protecting one's country
from aggression, protecting the innocent from violence. But ultimately,
don't the actions that flow from those motives damage or destroy the
very things and people they seek to save?
We should certainly
express judgment for the actions of those in the film. We should first,
however, see if we too should be judged.
