Lourdes - Another slow moving bullet into the brain from Jessica Hausner. I'm not a Catholic, in fact I'm not religious at all and I find all the arcane rituals and liturgical music somewhat creepy. This movie is a serious exploration of this world and gripped me despite (because of?) the glacial pace. The director has a very personal style, she's definitely an auteur based on the 2 movies I've seen - this is like Hotel - a succession of beautifully composed medium/long shots, static but with multiple movements within the frame. Check the opening scene for a perfect illustration. The lead actress is fantastic and is surrounded by a great gallery of flawed characters all with their own agendas. Lourdes itself is part Catholic Disneyland part Vegas - I'II never visit it so it was fascinating to see. Inspired choice of closing music - randomness of fate mirrored in randomness of sound! In case you haven't guessed I'm loving the cerebal, subtly creepy films of Jessica Hausner and look forward to seeing more.
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