Lourdes (film)
Encyclopedia
Lourdes is a 2009 film directed by Jessica Hausner
. It received the 2009 Vienna International Film Festival's Vienna Film Prize for best film.
. In order to escape her isolation, she makes a journey to Lourdes
, the iconic site of pilgrimage
in the Pyrenees
Mountains, along with other people with varying disabilities. During her stay she begins to regain the use of her limbs. This is in contrast with others, who appear to have stronger faith than Christine but experience only slight, passing improvement. Her fellow pilgrims are eager to call it a miracle
; however, as the pilgrimage draws to a close, exactly how accurate a claim this is becomes uncertain.
Jessica Hausner
Jessica Hausner is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. She has directed six films since 1995. Her film Lovely Rita was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival...
. It received the 2009 Vienna International Film Festival's Vienna Film Prize for best film.
Plot
Christine is a wheelchair-using woman with severe multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. In order to escape her isolation, she makes a journey to Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
, the iconic site of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
Mountains, along with other people with varying disabilities. During her stay she begins to regain the use of her limbs. This is in contrast with others, who appear to have stronger faith than Christine but experience only slight, passing improvement. Her fellow pilgrims are eager to call it a miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
; however, as the pilgrimage draws to a close, exactly how accurate a claim this is becomes uncertain.
Reviews
"The remarkable coup of the film is that it can be taken either as a testament to the power of faith or as a subtle undermining of it." The IndependentCast
- Gilette Barbier ... Mrs. Hartl
- Walter Benn
- Aurelia Burckhardt ... Nun
- Martin Habacher ... Pilgrim
- Gerith Holzinger ... Maltese Sister
- Hubert Kramar ... Mr. Olivetti
- Gerhard Liebmann ... Fr. Nigl
- Elina LöwensohnElina LöwensohnElina Löwensohn is a Romanian-born American actress.-Biography:Löwensohn was born in Bucharest, Romania. After the death of her father, a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, her mother emigrated to the United States with her, where her mother went on a hunger strike in order to get a visa for...
... Miss Cécile - Petra Morzé ... Mother
- Martin Thomas Pesl ... Frank
- Linde Prelog ... Mrs. Huber
- Léa SeydouxLéa SeydouxLéa Seydoux is a French actress and model. She is the granddaughter of Jérôme Seydoux, Chairman of Pathé, and grandniece of Nicolas Seydoux, Chairman and CEO of Gaumont....
... Maria - Sylvie TestudSylvie TestudSylvie Testud is a French actress, writer and director. Her film career began in 1991. She was later highly acclaimed, and has twice won César Awards.-Biography:...
... Christine - Bruno TodeschiniBruno TodeschiniBruno Todeschini is a Swiss actor.Todeschini studied at L'école supérieure d'art dramatique in Genève and after graduating in 1986, he joined the Théàtre des Amandiers in Nanterre, directed by Patrice Chéreau....
... Kuno - Orsolya TóthOrsolya TóthOrsolya Tóth is a Hungarian actress. She has appeared in 26 films since 2002. She played the title role in the film Johanna, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival....
... Child in Wheelchair - Thomas Uhlir ... Max
- Irma Wagner ... Pilgrim
- Jackie Wulf ... Pilgrim