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Some films had some sense of spirituality within their descriptions - specifically, two films that critics have liked: Pan’s Labyrinth and Children of Men. But then I heard from impassioned viewers that Pan’s Labyrinth was horrifically sadistic and Children of Men, deeply depressing - so I crossed them off the list. It would be easy to talk about Stranger Than Fiction (brilliant, and very spiritual in many ways) or Volver (also very spiritual, though dark and beautifully made) but it’s unlikely that they will still be playing in theaters when you read this. (If they are, go see them!)
One film now playing that I really enjoyed is The Painted Veil, though it seems more solidly in the art genre than the spiritual one. It is a beautiful and passionate film about love, based on the story by W. Somerset Maugham and actually has a predecessor starring Greta Garbo, made in 1934.
The film fills our external senses with the majesty of China’s natural world and the wonder of Shanghai in the 1920’s. But we also see the sickness and death, mud and neglect of a village struck with cholera, exposing us to extremes of sight and sound of this extraordinary place and time.
Not by accident, our inner senses are also delivered a feast of extremes as we take in the cool disinterest Kitty Fane (Naomi Watts) displays towards her husband, Walter Fane (Edward Norton), or the intense but misguided passion she finds with her lover, the British Ambassador, Charlie Townsend (Liev Schreiber). When Walter discovers his wife’s infidelity, we experience how cuttingly cruel he can be as he takes a position out of pure vengeance in a cholera-ridden remote village, making sure that his wife must accompany him.
This is not a place for a woman and the entrance into this world is unforgettable, as is much of the carefully crafted imagery in this film. It is their ascent into a higher relationship, one where they truly see each other for who they are for the first time, that brings the beauty and redeeming grace to this morality tale. This was an Edward Norton pet-project that he nursed through completion, hand picking Naomi Watts for her part and sharing producer credits with her in the end.
Enjoy!
Anna Darrah is a movie reviewer and director of acquisitions for the Spiritual Cinema Circle. For more about Anna Darrah and the Spiritual Cinema Circle go to: www.spiritualcinemacircle.com [2]