Saw this at the Berlinale 2018, where it was part of the Competition for the golden and silver bears. It got the silver bear for best actor in the role of Thomas, our main protagonist. Also, this film was nominated for the golden bear for best film, but it was awarded to Touch Me Not (Pintilie) instead.
I myself was primarily impressed watching the prison-without-walls approach, how it works out for real when wanting to be severed from an addiction. Yet, although it seemed to work for some on the short term, it left me wondering whether it really solves anything on the long run when returning to the place they originally came from. Prayers and hard labor offer a certain distraction. And the community with fellow addicts in various stages of disintoxication, helps a lot too. The rule that no one is to be left alone, not for a single minute, is a solid one, albeit it does not save everyone from the usual distractions. And neither does it prevent acting against the basic principles of the community or letting old bad habits take over by smuggling contraband into the community.
The dialogue between the founding mother and Thomas was both pivotal as well as confusing. She insisted that he did not really pray, though he maintained to know all the prayers by heart. She even struck him flat in the face, twice even, telling that his life was a lie. Had her verdict some negative influence on him and his general attitude, thereby making it to a self-fullfilling prophecy by definition??
His real conversion came about much later, when he lost his fellows in the mountains. He fell down and broke his leg yet found his leg unharmed the following morning. It was something he considered a miracle and an act of God. Eventually, Thomas had been clean for a considerable period when he left the community, heading to a seminary to become a priest, despite the wise words from the local priest that this is a commitment not to be taken lightly.
The day Thomas leaves the community starts with a heart moving gathering, during which everyone talls him how he has changed to the better, and conversely gives Thomas the opportunity to praise his fellow inha-bitants for their friendship and help.The bus ride towards the seminary (*** spoiler alert ***) is interrupted half-way, at which moment Thomas leaves the bus. He grabs his backpack and hitchhikes his way to Sybille, who we see at work in the final scene. After that, the movie ends, and we have no idea whether they are to live happily ever after.
I myself was primarily impressed watching the prison-without-walls approach, how it works out for real when wanting to be severed from an addiction. Yet, although it seemed to work for some on the short term, it left me wondering whether it really solves anything on the long run when returning to the place they originally came from. Prayers and hard labor offer a certain distraction. And the community with fellow addicts in various stages of disintoxication, helps a lot too. The rule that no one is to be left alone, not for a single minute, is a solid one, albeit it does not save everyone from the usual distractions. And neither does it prevent acting against the basic principles of the community or letting old bad habits take over by smuggling contraband into the community.
The dialogue between the founding mother and Thomas was both pivotal as well as confusing. She insisted that he did not really pray, though he maintained to know all the prayers by heart. She even struck him flat in the face, twice even, telling that his life was a lie. Had her verdict some negative influence on him and his general attitude, thereby making it to a self-fullfilling prophecy by definition??
His real conversion came about much later, when he lost his fellows in the mountains. He fell down and broke his leg yet found his leg unharmed the following morning. It was something he considered a miracle and an act of God. Eventually, Thomas had been clean for a considerable period when he left the community, heading to a seminary to become a priest, despite the wise words from the local priest that this is a commitment not to be taken lightly.
The day Thomas leaves the community starts with a heart moving gathering, during which everyone talls him how he has changed to the better, and conversely gives Thomas the opportunity to praise his fellow inha-bitants for their friendship and help.The bus ride towards the seminary (*** spoiler alert ***) is interrupted half-way, at which moment Thomas leaves the bus. He grabs his backpack and hitchhikes his way to Sybille, who we see at work in the final scene. After that, the movie ends, and we have no idea whether they are to live happily ever after.
