Movie reviews

CZYSCIEC

Watchable. A chaotic documentary with a handful of acted scenes. Often philosophically abstract, at times intriguing, even spooky at some point and occasionally moving. It switches from one form and time period to another constantly, changes moods frequently and juggles Polish, Italian and French commentators ranging from a doctor, through a number of priests to the controversial (not in the film but in real life) founder of the Wojownicy Marii (Mary's Warriors) sect. The documentary makes it clear that the idea of a purgatory was accepted by the Church as late as at the 16th century Florentian synod, based on much older common people's beliefs. It also states that 25-30% of those who've been through clinical death have memories of out-of-body experiences. Cases of hearing voices in abandoned or isolated places like monasteries are presented in the context of purgatory souls. The necessity to confess your sins is emphasized several times. And you're told that a soul can't be saved if their family won't pray. Is it supposed to absolve Catholics from personal responsibility for their own actions? The whole thing sounded quite construed. 

SAINT MAUD

Watchable. Hardly a horror. Anything supernatural only starts in the 54th minute of the 83-minute long movie and one brief scene towards the end truly belongs to the genre. The rest is an engaging drama about seeking connection with God and what it takes to become a saint or about a mentally disturbed young woman - depending how you look at it. It also delves into issues of control, dying, our assumptions regarding other people's needs. If I understood correctly, the language Maud hears from God and speaks herself in the finale is Welsh - God only knows why, so to speak.