Writer (with Phillipe Blasband) and Director Jean-Pierre Améris has created a stunning film that speaks about people born with disabilities and how in the case of this character those people often become significant contributors to our understanding of humanity at its most sensitive. Based on a true story the film is radiant in both the acting and the extraordinary setting in which the story is presented.
The synopsis outlines the message very succinctly:' At the turn of the 19th century, a humble artisan and his wife have a daughter, Marie (Ariana Rivoire), who is born deaf and blind and unable to communicate with the world around her. Desperate to find a connection to their daughter and avoid sending her to an asylum, the Heurtins (Gilles Treton and Laure Duthilleul) send fourteen-year-old Marie to the Larnay Institute in central France, where an order of Catholic nuns manage a school for deaf girls. There, the idealistic Sister Marguerite (Isabelle Carré in a luminous performance) sees in Marie a unique potential, and despite her Mother Superior's skepticism, vows to bring the wild young thing out of the darkness into which she was born. The film recounts the courageous journey of a young nun and the lives she would change forever, confronting failures and discouragement with joyous faith and love.'
A sensitive film, rich in message and in visual realization, this is one of those quiet, uplifting films – especially made for those who tire of the deluge of killing/action/crash/apocalyptic/undead films that assault our senses. Highly Recommended.
