Tag: convert

Sorcery (Brujería)

Post author By Jeremy Clarke
Post date 13 June 2024
3 Comments on Sorcery (Brujería)
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Director – Christopher Murray – 2023 – Chile, Mexico, Germany – Cert. 15 – 100m

*****

When the father of an indigenous Christian convert is murdered by her German Christian employer’s dogs, her thirst for justice leads her to employ occult folk magic against his family – out in UK cinemas on Friday, June 14th

1881. Chiloé, the Northernmost island of an archipelago off the coast of Chile. Indigenous, 13-year-old Rosa (Valentina Véliz Caileo) works as a maid for German immigrant Stefan (Sebastian Hülk from All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger, 2022; Little Joe, Jessica Hausner, 2019; The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke, 2009) who together with his wife (Annick Durán) runs a sheep farm. The couple have two young boys, Thorsten (Matías Bannister) and Franz (Iker Echevers). The family are Christians, and Rosa is a convert to that religion.

One day, Stefan’s sheep lie dead in his field, with woven garlands of vegetation round their necks. With tensions understandably high, Rosa’s father approaches Stefan holding a knife, and Stefan releases his two dogs upon him, killing the man. Rosa later places a makeshift cross of two sticks bound together on his basic grave, which she and Stefan’s family visit, Stefan’s wife pointing out that the man wasn’t a Christian.… Read the rest

Tags 13 year old, 1880s, 1881, afterlife, Annick Durán, archipelago, arrest, art house movie, beach, belief system, Bible, bird corpses, birds, cave, Chile, Chiloé, Christianity, Christians, Christopher Murray, coast, communing with nature, convert, corpses, cross, Daniel Antivilo, Daniel Muñoz, death, dogs, drama, family, farm, fever, fire, firelight, firing squad, fisherman, German, German immigrant, grave, gutting fish, Heaven, horror, Huilliche, Iker Echevers, immigrant, in woodlands, incarceration, indigenous, indigenous convert, island, knife, landscape, Leo Heiblum, maid, Matías Bannister, mayor, miscarriage, murder, nails, natural world, nature, Neddiel Muñoz Millalonco, nets, organised farming practices, pray, pregnant, rain, religion, sea, sheep, sheep farm, social justice, sorcery, suffering, tide, torch, torch procession, torchlight, torture, tree, Valentina Véliz Caileo, weather, weirding woman (Neddiel Muñoz Millalonco, witch, witchcraft, woods

Features Live Action Movies

Are You
There God?
It’s Me,
Margaret.

Post author By Jeremy Clarke
Post date 15 May 2023
No Comments on Are You
There God?
It’s Me,
Margaret.
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All stills: Dana Hawley / courtesy of Lionsgate UK

Director – Kelly Fremon Craig – 2023 – US – Cert. PG – 105m

****

An 11-year-old girl navigates the difficult waters of religion and womanhood, talking privately to God as she does so – bestselling novel adaptation is out on digital Tuesday, July 18th and on Blu-ray & DVD Monday, August 7th

Is God there, can you talk to God, and does doing so make any difference? 11-year-old Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) talks to God, beginning with the “Are You There?” question and then continuing to talk to God as if God’s presence were real. Whether God is real or not, the practice of talking with God has a history in certain Christian traditions, and probably in other religious traditions with which I’m less familiar too. It does not, of itself, prove the existence or non-existence of God one way or the other.

In terms of organised religion, Margaret finds herself in a confusing place. She is the sole child of Jewish father Herb (Benny Safdie) and Christian mother Barbara (Rachel McAdams) Simon. It’s a good marriage and the Simons are a very happy family, living in a cramped New York apartment with his Jewish mother Sylvia Simon (an hilariously dour yet joyous Kathy Bates).… Read the rest

Tags 11-year-old, 1960s, Abby Ryder Fortson, adaptation, agnosticism, Aidan Wojtak-Hissong, Amari Price, art teacher, atheism, beehive hairdo, Benny Safdie, bestseller, black church, boy books, boys, bra, bust size, bust-enlarging exercise, Catholic, Christian, Christian traditions, church, class heartthrob, club, club rules, committee, confessional, convert, Dennis Delamar, early developer, Echo Kellum, faith, family, feminine, first period, Florida, Gary Houston, Gazelle Fleming, God, good marriage, Gospel, grandmother, happy family, identity, Isol Young, Jersey, Jew, Jewish, Judy Blume, Karen Aruj, Katherine Kupferer, Kathy Bates, Kelly Fremon Craig, kissing, lying, marriage, menstruation, Mia Dillon, mothers and daughters, moving house, mows the lawn, New York, not wearing socks, novel, organised religion, ostracised, parents and children, period, priest, proselytise, Protestant, PTA, pulpit, Rachel McAdams, religion, school year, sermon, sexuality, singing, suburban, synagogue, their religious heritage, truth telling, urban, urban and suburban, US

Features Live Action Movies

After Love

A girl in both ports

After Love
Directed by Aleem Khan
Certificate 12a, 89 minutes
Released in cinemas 4 June, on Blu-ray and BFI Player 23 August

*****

The South Coast. Mary (Joanna Scanlan) is married to Ahmed (Nasser Memarzia), a ferry captain who regularly travels to France and back in the course of work. They fell in love as teenagers. She is white British, he is South Asian. She has converted to Islam, his religion, and integrated into his Urdu-speaking family, a language she has herself learned.

One day he comes home from work, and dies while she’s making him a cup of tea. Going through his effects, she checks his mobile phone, and discovers messages from another woman. She goes over to France to confront Geneviève (Natalie Richard)… [read more]

Full theatrical review in Reform magazine.

NB Blu-ray contains the director’s earlier short Three Brothers (2014) plus an informative 46-minute zoom Q&A, trailer and teaser trailer, a stills gallery, and (first pressing only) a booklet containing writing on the film.

Trailer:

2021

Cinemas

Friday, June 4th

Blu-ray, BFI Player (subscription exclusive)

Monday, August 23rd.