Beyond The Hills

BEYOND THE HILLS

Director : Cristan Mungiu

Year : 2013

Genre : Drama

Rating : ***1/2

 

Bringing the elements of religion and atheism straight to the forefront, 'Beyond The Hills' is a fascinating study into the reliance and dependence of God. Shot in the remote misty valleys of Romania, director Cristian Mungiu captures an air of historical routine and tradition against the backdrop of a growing atheist and agnostic world. Reminiscent of Xavier Beauvoir's extraordinary 'Of Gods And Men', 'Beyond The Hills' is yet another foreign language film that explores and dissects different aspects of a religion that has shaped the hearts and minds of billions over 2 millennia.

For the most part, 'Beyond The Hills' explores the friendship between 2 girls; one is a devout nun and the other is an agonistic seeking refuse in a monastery. Surrounded by religion and the apparent presence of God, Alina becomes overwhelmed by the astonishing spiritual vibe. However, she begins to develop the signs of demonic possession and soon the entire group of nuns living in the monastery work to save her mortal soul from the Devil.

Director Cristian Mungiu is probably best known for his astonishing abortion drama '4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days' which won the Palme D'or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Obviously 'Beyond The Hills' isn't as tough to watch or as heart-breaking as his previous film, but Mungiu still manages to create an interesting and evocative piece with quiet conversations, extremely memorable imagery and amazing outbursts of explosive pandemonium. Isolating the monastery miles away from the hurly burly of the suburbs, Mungiu is able to bring an atmosphere of a time long since past. The reliance on technology that seems to have engulfed our world is absent from this peaceful place and the nuns and priests are content with living their lives in the way in which their predecessors did. As the camera explores the various rooms of the church, we see dimly lit candles, iconography that wouldn't be out of place in a 13th century cathedral and men and women wearing the same religious clothing that their ancestors would have worn centuries before them.

While there isn't one central character for us to get to know, the film follows the lives of the many nuns, who have all devoted their lives to the worship of God. Nowadays a devout Christian is hard to find, so it is startling to see a young woman who still believes in an omnipresent figure when most of society has forgotten it. All the actors in the film act very naturalistically and I truly believed throughout the entire running of the film that they were true Christians, willing to fight for the word and the beliefs preached in the Bible. While the acting is very good and realistic when we see the various nuns and priests go about their daily lives, it is when the demonic possession begins that we see the true talent come to light. In their faces and body language we see the terror that has paralysed them and with the use of handheld cameras, Mungui is able to explore each and every one of the characters'  reactions and pain.  This gives us the ability to get to know each character spiritually and emotionally; even if we don't necessarily know their names.

This film will not be for everyone. For many it will be a plodding and laborious experience which takes up 3 hours of their time. Yes, the film doesn't need to be this long and the drama doesn't really kick off until half way through. But if you can stick with the first 90 minutes, you will find a fantastic portrayal of the ways in which people will furiously fight for their beliefs. Giving us 90 minutes to get to know each character intimately, we can feel more empathy and worry for them when the Devil seems to interrupt their religious harmony. For me, while too long, 'Beyond The Hills' is a master class in creating atmosphere with location, setting and character development.