Lourdes
Afflicted with multiple sclerosis, Christine makes a pilgrimage to the holy site of Lourdes in hopes of a miracle. Among thousands of ailed visitors, she proceeds through the well-oiled machinery of the religious tourist destination until the unbelievable happens: she is suddenly able to walk. As Christine becomes the object of wonder and envy, bolstering and testing the faith of her fellow pilgrims, the question remains whether all is as it seems.
A personal favorite of Martin Scorsese, Jessica Hausner’s acclaimed third feature distills the central theme of her filmography: the contentious gray area between faith and fact. Dryly humorous and quietly riveting, LOURDES is the “superbly subtle, mysterious and brilliantly composed film” (The Guardian) that established Hausner as a vital contemporary auteur on a global scale.
Cast
- Sylvie Testud
- Léa Seydoux
- Bruno Todeschini
- Elina Löwensohn
Blu-ray Features
Jessica Hausner interview
Short Film: Inter-View
Discs: 1
- "One of the pleasures of this intelligent, rigorously thoughtful, somewhat sly film is that it takes place in the space between the inexplicable (no explanation is possible) and the unexplained (enlightenment might be around the corner). Its director... wants to explore the mysteries of life, not its certainties. "
- "Beautifully led by birdlike Sylvie Testud as an ailing young woman in a wheelchair, every character (pilgrim and helper alike) exhibits a soul. And shaped with confident talent by the Austrian filmmaker, every serenely composed shot matters."
- "A provocative and surprising pleasure...."
- "A cucumber-cool satire which views the poetry and passion of spiritual faith through a prism of rigid bureaucracy and ruthless logic."
- "This film is both good and powerful. It is as magically, richly ambivalent as life itself."
- "Hausner manages and controls our expectations in this superbly subtle, mysterious and brilliantly composed film."
- "One of the most observant -- and enigmatic -- movies of the year."
- "A cool and firmly ambitious film from Austria’s Jessica Hausner, Lourdes is an accomplished work which radiates intelligence."
- "Jessica Hausner's tour de force of ambivalence, intelligence and invention will make you believe in cinematic miracles, at least."
Awards & Recognition
FIPRESCI Prize
Venice Film Festival
SIGNIS Award
Venice Film Festival
Sergio Trasatti Award
Venice Film Festival
Brian Award
Venice Film Festival
Best Actress
European Film Awards
Grand Prix
Warsaw Int'l. Film Festival
Best International Film
Santa Barbara Int'l. Film Festival
Toronto Int'l. Film Festival
BFI London Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Int'l. Film Festival Rotterdam
Karlovy Vary Int'l. Film Festival
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