The Monk

French. Recommended
This movie really brought me back to my childhood in the 17th Century. I was raised Catholic in the pre-Vatican II days, and this movie depicts the very religion I grew up with. The candles and the incense and the robes and the crucifixes and confession and strange unexplained rituals and the really weird statutes of saints and the Marianolatry and the demeaning of women. And the harshness. You are either good or horribly, horribly bad, and you are not good. You need to repent of everything you do except for actual praying. Satan really truly exists, is out to get you and God is entirely willing, you know, maybe kinda wants, to have you suffer in the most horrible way imaginable forever. There is a scene that includes a procession of nuns and I promise they were dressed exactly, exactly, like the Dominicans who taught me all the crazy shit they used to teach in those days. The always reliable 17th century stuff. It is Set in Spain, where the Jesuits started, although they are not in the movie.  This would be at least 100 years after the Inquisition, so none of that stuff is in the film.

Really brought me back and with no irony I say: in a good way. The movie was so well done. Its about very devout people doing their very devout thing and the titular Monk’s struggles with his demons. The color commentary above is not the real subject of the movie. The movie is about good vs. evil. Also about love. Great ending.