Movie Review

Into Great Silence (2007)

Reviewed by Owen Gleiberman | Mar 07, 2007

Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman is a film critic for EW

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EW's GRADE

B-

Details Limited Release: Feb 28, 2007; Rated: Unrated; Length: 162 Minutes; Genre: Documentary

$VOW OF \'SILENCE\' A look at Carthusian monks won\'t leave you speechless$

VOW OF 'SILENCE' A look at Carthusian monks won't leave you speechless

Ingmar Bergman heard ''the silence of God'' as a stoic reprimand, but in this documentary about the Carthusian monks who live in the French Alps, silence is holiness. For two hours and 42 minutes, Into Great Silence offers painterly images of an existence that is, almost literally, too reverent for words. (At one point, you can hear the snow fall.) The director, Philip Gröning, orchestrates the monks' rituals into a gorgeous meandering trance, implying that if the movie bores you, you lack spirituality. The movie has a hushed sensual resonance, but it turns faith into an endurance test.

Originally posted Mar 07, 2007 Published in issue #925 Mar 16, 2007 Order article reprints

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