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The glutinous rendition of Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ that kicks off Lourdes makes you wonder – are we in for mocking satire or pious uplift? Neither, as it turns out.
Austrianborn director Jessica Hausner’s Venice-winner subjects the much-visited French shrine to the Virgin Mary to a non-committal, almost documentary scrutiny – though one that’s not without its moments of sly humour.
Christine (a fierce, frail performance from Sylvie Testud) is a wheelchair-bound sufferer from multiple sclerosis who visits Lourdes less out of faith than by way of a fresh holiday destination. (She decides she prefers Rome, as it’s “more cultural”.)
Hausner subtly sketches in the characters involved – the pilgrims, the carers, the bemused but conscientious resident priest – and the tensions and jealousies that thrive in Lourdes’ hothouse atmosphere, without ever showing her hand.
Disneyland for the credulous, or miracle-working shrine? We’re left to make up our own minds on that one.
The Inside Out 2 panic attack scene is one of the best depictions of anxiety ever – and something Pixar director Kelsey Mann is incredibly proud of: "I couldn't be happier"
When making Kingdom Hearts, the "one thing" RPG icon Tetsuya Nomura "wasn't willing to budge on" was a non-Disney protagonist
The Witcher fans in shambles after a new book reveals just how old Geralt really is
