"Lourdes", directed by Jessica Hausner, running time: 96’, 2009.
Hailed as the Best Movie of the 2009 Warsaw Film Festival, “Lourdes” is a remarkable picture directed by Jessica Hausner in which the Austrian director focuses on the phenomenon of faith and on the dangers posed by religion as such.
The world famous sanctuary in Lourdes, also renowned for its springs, is a 24/7 destination of pilgrims from all over the world. Every believer has a problem of some sort, a desire, a need or a secret hope of being healed right here – in Lourdes. A similar hope fuels wheelchair-bound Christine, the film’s protagonist, who at the same time remains skeptical and reserved, treating her visit to the sanctuary as an opportunity to be provided with all-day-round professional medical assistance.
In her movie, Hausner has included a number of intriguing motifs and worthwhile points of view. Apart from the belief in divine intervention, there is also an ironic look at the religious memorabilia industry, working at full throttle and ceaselessly prospering in the vicinity of the sanctuary. Veritable acolytes rub shoulders with confidence tricksters, the sick and excluded exist alongside the healthy – each group searching for something else in Lourdes. It is worth paying a cinematic visit to this site of wonder and becoming acquainted with its residents and pilgrims alike as well as getting familiarized with their problems.
French audio with Polish subtitles
Free admission