Our Lady of Lourdes (2013) User Reviews

A Showcase For Impressive Effects But Has Nothing Beyond This Function

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 27 March 2014]

Suggestive Spoilers

Bernard the local town drunk is befriended by a young woman called Lourdes . Exiting a café Bernard is struck down by illness and taken to hospital in an ambulance . On the way to hospital Bernard has a vivid nightmare

With a title like this I was ready to tell you the story about a friend I had who suffered from a degenerative illness that left him confined to a wheelchair . All the wonders of medical science couldn't help him so in a last desperate attempt to cure himself he went to the healing waters of Lourdes . He was dunked in to the waters and he emerged with his ailment untouched but looking on the bright side his wheelchair was regenerated . I shall now get my coat

This short film doesn't concern itself with religion . It also doesn't concern itself with much else apart from contrivance . It's obviously set in an Iberian country but for some reason the characters suddenly feel the need to speak English . Nick Moran appears as an Interpol detective and resurrects his cheeky cockney geezer though in a more extreme and unlikable manner and there's no real reason for this distracting unconvincing character to exist except for the need for the story to have a villain . This villain is actually unnecessary because the entire story merely exists to set up the set piece nightmare sequence . I'll give this short some credit and that is the nightmare is genuinely creepy and contains very effective imagery which if it appeared in DOCTOR WHO would lead to meltdown at the BBC as concerned parents phoned their complaints that their little ones have been traumatized by the monsters on show while their children write a letter of to the producer asking if these monsters can be brought back as soon as possible

Alas however this short film has no other function except to show case the talents of the director who has a long and impressive track record of realising on screen special effects in Hollywood blockbusters . The effects are very impressive and terrifying but there's not a lot else to this short on any level apart from the visual effects

I don't think so.

[riverwildeuk · 5/10 · 21 January 2014]

What is nice about this short is the visual appearance of the actors playing Lourdes and Bernard. It is only when the characters start speaking does one switch off due to the poor dialog and not to mention done to death plot/sub-plot and characters. In particular, the character portrayed Nick Moran - a good actor wasted on a bad role. It's only in the third act that you realize this poor short is a build up to the director's exhibition of visual effects and there is one particularly good visual effect that soon loses it's efficacy or wow factor given the rest of the film. i suppose short filmmakers have on the whole decided to create shorts that have a possible 'wow! that was cool.' moment hence the lack of focus on emotionally engaging the audience.

At least tries to be narrative supported by effects, but ultimately plays more like a long walk to an effects showcase (albeit a very good showcase)

[bob the moo · 11 April 2014]

Before I watched this film I saw that the director was one Peter Szewczyk, a name I recognized from somewhere. At some point during the film it came to me that I knew the name from recently watching the short ColourBleed – a film I had not cared for particularly because it was all effects and no substance. Credit to Szewczyk then for trying here to tell a story to allow the use of effects rather than just showing off what he can do. I think it is a good try but a shame that it is not a better try because it mostly doesn't work.

Firstly it is worth saying that the effects are very impressive and effective throughout. They produce a creepy atmosphere that eventually delivers into a scene with frightening and well-designed visions. The problem is, that this sequence is so strong that it stood out to me as the reason for the whole film to exist and at a point where I should have been pulled closer to the action, instead I was thinking "well, that was a long walk to get to an effects showcase". Even on paper the narrative is full of convenience and obvious attempts to draw the viewer in; it does work a little bit not as much as it should. The characters are too simply drawn: Bernard is a kindly drunk with a sad story that comes out very easily and Lourdes is too kindly. OK perhaps these are the basic characters but the performances limit them – Scott is stunning but doesn't convince in her dialogue although Dyblik is better. The presence of Moran and his character are equally annoying – his accent stomps all over the film and needs its own explanation, while his character is just a very poor narrative device that doesn't work at the start or the end.

Our Lady of Lourdes is a better attempt at delivering a narrative supported by effects from Szewczyk but it still falls short of what it needed to be by only being an attempt – not a successful one.

Good acting

[skuggvarg-13 · 10/10 · 16 October 2015]

The acting was very good and spot on.

Not many movies or stories can do it but this movie and its story made me actually cry.

Naomi Scott is perfect in her role which she portrays excellently. And Lech Dyblik is fantastic as well even Moran is good.

I thought this movie had been canceled for lack of money but I was happily wrong.

To those that have yet to see this masterpiece I recommend you stock up on tissues for this one is a real (spoiler alert) tear gusher (Even for us bad-asses).

I warmly recommend this film.