The movie explodes into action with a sequence that could have been filmed by the Monty Python crew: a grotesque mediaeval person emerges from the muddy pond where he was hiding, then (still covered with mud) frantically flees through a forest. But we are in for many surprises...
That first image is not the only one that has ingrained itself into my memory: the whole movie leaves a lasting impression, full of images that stay in the mind and continue to fascinate and intrigue. Sometimes breathtakingly beautiful, often moving, but pervaded with a sly, surreal humour. In this apparently simple tale - a young man on a quest for the truth contained in the "secret book" of the Bogomils - we are led to explore the fragile boundaries between sanity and insanity.
The casting is excellent, from the major roles to the many secondary characters, and the high quality of Thierry Arbogast's photography deserves a special mention. There is an undeniable kinship with the work of Luis Buñuel: I wonder if Jean-Claude Carrière (scriptwriter for many of Buñuel's films) who plays here the role of Pierre Reymond, had a hand in the script.
I can count myself lucky to have caught this film at the Mannheim film festival. I hope it gets the chance to be seen by a wider audience.
That first image is not the only one that has ingrained itself into my memory: the whole movie leaves a lasting impression, full of images that stay in the mind and continue to fascinate and intrigue. Sometimes breathtakingly beautiful, often moving, but pervaded with a sly, surreal humour. In this apparently simple tale - a young man on a quest for the truth contained in the "secret book" of the Bogomils - we are led to explore the fragile boundaries between sanity and insanity.
The casting is excellent, from the major roles to the many secondary characters, and the high quality of Thierry Arbogast's photography deserves a special mention. There is an undeniable kinship with the work of Luis Buñuel: I wonder if Jean-Claude Carrière (scriptwriter for many of Buñuel's films) who plays here the role of Pierre Reymond, had a hand in the script.
I can count myself lucky to have caught this film at the Mannheim film festival. I hope it gets the chance to be seen by a wider audience.
