Lourdes- Is there a God?

Lourdes is a hard film to get right, a paralysed women giving a miracle awakening at the hands of the almighty himself. Lourdes is a miracle to watch a story of a young paralysed women Christine, a prisoner of her own paralysis trapped in her dormant condition with the realisation that all she can hope to do is move her head. She tells a priest that she feels angry, almost constantly asking "Why me, why was i giving this illness?". The priest replies "Why do you think that people who can use their legs are happy".

The director Jessica Haunser (Hotel) never pulls away from the issues at hand. Lourdes is a themely rich and ambiguous tale, like Of God's and Men, of Religious debate. Haunser never Verge's towards something we have seen before, every night Christine is put to bed by the volunteers and every night they pray for her but Christine never takes part in praying for her own miracle. But Christine isn't looking for a miracle really, more recognition than to walk again.

She is taken to the baths everyday, she touches rocks of a mountain face, all in the hope that she will be "blessed" with a miracle. In my mind (out of context of the film) a miracle has something else behind it than the will of the almighty himself and taken that this is fiction allows us to think of Lourdes as something else. A film that isn't about wanting a miracle but what happens when one happens, by god or not. Christine is miraculously through the night cured of her disease and the recognition she wants is handed to her with a mixed reception. Some are overjoyed that she can walk, while others show a back hand to her new found freedom asking "why her". Well God works in mysterious and God is free is one reply.

With that in mind Lourdes works in mysterious ways. Hourdes never goes for the obvious. In one crucial scene the "pilgrims" go to one of the many services in Lourdes, held by one of the hundreds of priests and the director leaves the camera hanging never focusing on anyone apart from the effect, the effect that the priest has on everyone and in turn the effect that religion has on everyone. It empowers the hopeless, the stubborn and later mystifies the curious.

But the crucial reason to love Lourdes is down to Christine played by Sylvie Testud. I loved her character, she is hopeful in the bleakest of situations, fights to be heard and stands up for herself, one of the volunteers has a conversation with another about the night before and Christine is pulled over and they steer clear of the topic talking about how lovely the service was,even talking down to her .Is Christine an attention seeker? A little bit yes, A narcissist/egotists? never, by the end you'll be convinced that a "miracle" can happen There's one line by the end,actually the last one i believe where Christine is having a dance "i feel happy" and by that point so do we.

LOW DOWN
Lourdes is as quietly empowering and as it is funny. Lourdes is handsomely acted and Thematically rich, with a performance that won't escape you by Sylvie Testud.

*** 1/2 out of ****