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With this film,Philip Groning has been compared to Vermeer. To Bresson,Trakovsky,Dreyer,Mallik and to the Dardenne bros.Doing away with cinematic trappings to such an extent that the bare soul shines through,he has been able to present the film as the subject itself instead of a ‘representation’.Watching INTO GREAT SILENCE is as good as being physically in the Grande Chartreuse,high in the French Alps.

Having formally studied medicine and psychology, he has worked as a sound assistant, prop master and assistant director before embarking on being a film maker. He has also worked as an actor and screenwriter. Philip Groning is an alumni of the MUNICH FILM SCHOOL [ HFF ]

Coming out of the theatre,Kulsoom,a Pakistani lawyer, said to me “You so totally owe me a treat, a Hindi Film. Make sure it has lots of dances with lots of costume changes!”
On the other hand Amina,a film maker, was totally excited “What a film!” she kept repeating. Well it just goes to show people are different,even if they are sisters.

Thankfully for an audience such as Amina and I there are films like INTO GREAT SILENCE.

Not everybody’s cup of tea this. A film that is almost 3 hrs long with no voiceover, no narrative, no non-diegetic sound, no cinematic tricks or appeasement of the viewer. Shot mostly in Hi-Def and parts in grainy Super-8, the 120 hours that Philip Groning filmed took him 21/2 years to edit. Now that is not a long time considering he had to wait for 16 years to get permission to shoot it in the first place!! He went into the Grande Chartreuse in the French Alps in March 2002, shot for 6 months and then after the excruciating time taken for editing,released the film to packed theatres in Europe.

For this film to be such a hit shows that the taste of the cinema going public especially in Europe has been tempered and matured by regular viewing of cinema verite. It is not a documentary in the manner of TOUCHING THE VOID [another wonderful docu-drama re-enactment by Kevin MacDonald of ‘Last King of Scotland’] nor is it a silent documentary a la WINGED MIGRATION, which had dramatic shots and a fabulous score. MARCH OF THE PENGUINS had its charm in fur and family life while ENDURANCE, Ernest Shackleton’s hair raising expedition and even more shocking story of survival is an easy winner.

This film offers no respite, the constant repetitive texts and Gregorian chants, the monotony and the humdrum of the cloisters and cells, the cyclic seasons, colourless clothes, unvarying cuisine and to top it all the same angled shots, shot after shot after shot. If this was so tough to watch just try imagining a lifetime of voluntary vocation in such circumstances. At one point I almost screamed [ whispered ] internally at the director, “show me where this bloody charterhouse is,can you give me an establishing shot,pleaaaaaaaaase!”

I had heard that these monasteries are perched high on the Alps and are pretty picturesque and yes Philip Groning doth show us where this particular monastery is roosting but Oh So Quickly. If you happen to be dozing like I was,you’d wake up with a start to find it gone. If you caught it like I did,being an ever vigilant critic,you’d be blessed with a breathtaking view.

You will not get to know the Carthrusian Order better by watching this film,as the Director mentions in many interviews,this is not a ‘didactic film or an exposition’. He wanted the audience to experience the place and to participate with him in this quest for God. The Carthrusians do it through Silence. They have about 26 such houses around the world for monks and nuns. They are especially known for their CHARTREUSE,liqueur,that helps them earn their livelihood but the Director does not dwell on that aspect at all. He does not sensationalize the film in any way. He has invited us as retreatants and postulants for the 3 hrs and he expects us to abide by the same vows,of silence and charity.[ http://www.chartreux.org/en/frame.html ]

Charity of time. If the Director could wait 16 years to film this, 21/2 years to edit this, if the Order is in existence in its present form since the 11th cent, the least we can do is to sit patiently for 3 hrs. Which is asking a lot if the viewer is not prepared for what is to come. At every move of the monks,Kulsoom said she expected some ‘drama’ to happen,only to be disappointed - ki kuch nahi ho raha – nothing ever happened here. The monks themselves have watched the film and liked what they saw. It takes us into another realm where you are be-calmed with quietitude and routine. It is a three hour meditation class for 10$.

The Director [ obviously the Producers too ] would be happy to note that it is doing well in US, especially since this is a ‘Christian’ nation but also because there are a lot of meditation and Yoga practitioners here, at least in the Washington DC area. Seated in front of me was a family with 5 kids, I was tempted to ask if one of the boys was planning on joining the order, since the mother kept looking at him pointedly during tonsure and other monkish rituals!

Apart from the sense of peace that I felt after the film, the film itself undoubtedly has great merit in its poetic compositions, use of natural light and depiction of the minutiae of the Order. Whether it was through delicate humour or through vigorous investigation we see and participate in the whole process just as the Director wants. Shooting alone without crew,without aides or extra lights for 3 hrs daily and living with the Brothers has helped shaped the film into what it is. Wondrous energy has seeped in and permeated the whole process.

Philip Groning talks of the unnecessary stress that overrides modern life which lays great stress on ‘work’ and ‘jobs’, the FEAR that has gripped modern society and how he felt speech drifting away from him after the 6 month stint in the Alps.
………The director also believes viewers may gain a sense of perspective from the voluntary poverty of the monks. “A common reading is that our society is based on material goods. Now the deeper reading is that our society is based on fear, and fear is being hidden by material goods… The dogma of work, efficiency, having a job, etc., being the core human value of a human being is very much challenged by their way of life, because in their way of life work is not such an essential issue”. In Europe, Gröning believes, the issue of employment has been blown out of proportion. “Everyone’s very afraid… do we have a job? Do our children have jobs? … Western society is not based on the idea of work. You look at those monks, who still live as they did 800 years ago, and it’s not a big issue in their life………………” [www.decentfilms.com ]

This is what Amina wrote to me the next day after the film:

“……………………………I remembered
sitting in the theater yesterday, wondering at the
absence of music. Then an hour passed, then the
second, and I realized that where a film’s soundtrack
usually tells us how to feel about a certain
sequence/scene, its absence leaves us free to explore
our own, organic reactions to the visuals.

I’m so glad you brought up the film and we got to see
it on the last day of screening at Landmark …………”

Well! Amina and I are no Catholics and one needn’t be to enjoy an experience that is profound and deeply spiritual.

Filmogrpahy:

Full length feature films
SUMMER (1986)
THE TERRORISTS! (1992)
L’AMOUR, L’ARGENT, L’AMOUR (2000)

Documentaries
THE LAST PICTURE TAKEN (1983)
VICTIMS. WITNESSES (1993)
INTO GREAT SILENCE (2006)

Shorts
THE SWIMMER (1983)
STACHOVIAK! (1988)

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