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"Searching for
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Documentary Written &
Directed by Philip
Groning
Distributed by Zeitgeist
Films -
2007 - 169m - Rated N/A |
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The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of
the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and
powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks
before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind
there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper…” – 1 Kings 19: 11-13 |
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"Into Great Silence"
is a gentle whisper of a film set inside the Grande Chartreuse
Monastery nestled majestically beneath the French Alps near
Grenoble.
German filmmaker Phillip Groning first began requested to shoot
"Into Great Silence" in 1984. The Carthusian Order of Chartreuse, a
monastic order widely recognized as Catholicism's most fundamental
and strict order founded by St. Bruno in 1084, replied that they
were not ready for him.
16 years later, they were ready.
For 6 months, Groning lived inside the monastery under the strictest
of filmmaking rules:
Only he was invited. Groning would have to be cameraman, director,
writer and crew.
There could be no artificial lighting. Every shot contained within
the film is of natural light...sunlight, candles or complete
darkness.
There could be no interviews.
The result becomes more meditation than documentary.
"Into Great Silence" isn't a film that reveals the inner-workings of
a man who commits to such a rigorous lifestyle.
"Into Great Silence" isn't a film that even simply observes these
monks in their everyday lives.
"Into Great Silence" fully immerses those experiencing the film into
the monastic order of Grande Chartreuse. While one may not,
necessarily, be enduring this order's everyday rigors one is
experiencing, at least for the film's nearly 3-hour running time, a
nearly complete sensory deprivation...an inner silence, a stillness
and an uncommon simplicity to which Americans are seldom exposed.
The monks we experience in "Into Great Silence" are not characters
at the whim of a well-intentioned filmmaker.
They are monks.
They are, indeed, introduced to us individually. Yet, even their
introduction is experienced more as prayer than presentation. Each
monk is shown facing the camera, in utter silence...some fidget
awkwardly under this close observation, some look downward, some
simply observe and, yes, one or two NEARLY smile.
There is a joy contained within "Into Great Silence," but it is not
the everyday joy to which we've become accustomed. It is not the joy
of laughter and celebration and festivity. It is the joy of communal
living, sacrificing one's entire being to serving God and the joy of
true intimacy with one another and with God.
"Into Great Silence" may very well be one of the most intimate,
tender films ever created.
Without a soundtrack or a musical score, it is the everyday lives of
these monks that becomes the film's soundtrack. It is a full 20
minutes into the film before even a sound is uttered...by this time,
the viewer is so fully immersed that each and every sound becomes
jarring to one's senses.
As you have reasoned by now, the brothers of Chartreuse observe a
vow of simplicity, celibacy and, most notably, a vow of silence.
This vow of silence is revealed with great conviction in the daily
lives of the brothers. They live, work, eat and pray in silence.
This silence is broken only during a 45-minute morning mass and a
30-minute evening mass during which traditional rituals are spoken
and Gregorian chants are sung simply, hauntingly and intimately.
The brothers, too, share a Sunday meal together and, following this
meal, are allowed four-hours of relaxation, a walk and, yes, a
period of conversation with one another.
In a certain, very minimalist way, there is a semblance of a plot
contained within "Into Great Silence" as we silently observe two
initiates including a young African man, the only African among the
mostly older, white Order. Yet, this racial integration is never
mentioned, addressed or treated any differently than the rest of the
film. Here, young Benjamin becomes Brother Dom-Marie Pierre.
Yet, while the two men are captured onscreen at multiple points,
"Into Great Silence" is not about their initiation or their journey
into brotherhood. Instead, it seems a merely coincidental starting
point and, perhaps, a place for Groning to center audience's
attention.
Perhaps the greatest joy in experiencing "Into Great Silence" is
being able to experience both the internal and external moments of
humanity contained within the lives of these isolated brothers.
Several times, Groning captures a airplane flying overhead the
medieval monastery...a stark contrast of technology versus
simplicity. Likewise, the simple living monks do, at times, utilize
technology for its functional simplicity rather than for its
convenience. The Order's accountant, for example, utilizes an
obviously older laptop to track Order finances and one brother
utilizes a small, electronic keyboard on which he practices his
chants.
The humanity of the Order is also revealed, perhaps most touchingly,
in the carrying out of their spiritual disciplines...disciplines
that, somehow, reminded me of those moments in my own life I value
most.
The brothers give each other haircuts, silently, yet intently and
attentively. As someone who experienced brain damage at birth, I
watched these moments experiencing in myself how much I love
haircuts.
I love the feeling of the razor against my scalp and the gentle,
sometimes nearly tear-inducing tenderness on a part of me that
hurts, always hurts. It is easily worth the $12 I give Great Clips
monthly for the experience.
In many ways, it is a spiritual experience in one of the least
expected places.
So, it is with moments behind the walls of Chartreuse. The haircuts,
the meals, the sharing of chores, the masses and prayers, and, yes,
the Sunday meals and walks together build together a silent,
communal experience that is filled with love and joy and commitment
and and discipline.
There are even moments of unbridled giddiness, as evidenced by a
beautiful scene of the brothers' spontaneous act of playfully
sliding down a hillside of snow, laughing and enjoying this unity
with God and one another.
As one could expect from a film with no artificial light or special
effects, Into Great Silence" is a wildly mixed bag of
cinematography. At times, Groning's camera work is sparkling and
crystal clear. Other times, one strains to discern the image ahead.
Yet, somehow, all the images together feel like poetry and prose,
prayer and meditation combined.
Groning often separates his scenes by utilizing printed texts of
simple prayers and scriptures. These texts, in French translated
into both German and English, repeat themselves throughout the
film...much like the way in which the prayers, meditations, rituals
and responsibilities repeat themselves in the lives of the brothers.
So, too, repeated nature scenes of rain, snow, flowers and clouds
serve as a segue thematically for "Into Great Silence."
While the brothers of Chartreuse are never formally introduced, by
becoming so fully immersed into their everyday lives we do,
nevertheless, come to care about them. I held my chair gently hoping
that an elder brother digging snow wouldn't fall...I prayed peace
for an elderly blind brother who seemed to be readying himself for
death...I wept as I watched the brothers sharing an "embrace of
peace" upon the initiation of their novice brothers.
"Into Great Silence" is, perhaps moreso than any other cinematic
experience, a transcendent, spiritual experience. It is among the
most deeply intimate, innocent and vulnerable films ever created
and, most certainly, a film that simply and vividly, without bias or
agenda, calls the viewer into an experience of community, communion
and meditation. |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
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