Hadewijch (2009)

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The strength of one woman's faith takes her to strange and dangerous places in this drama from acclaimed French filmmaker Bruno Dumont. Céline (Julie Sokolowski), the daughter of a wealthy and respected family, is a 20-year-old student of theology whose passion for Christianity is so strong some find it unnerving. Céline has been studying at a convent, but her single-minded devotion leads the mother superior to ask Céline to leave and go out into the world. As Céline strives to find herself in a world that seems to have lost its moral compass, she meets Yassine (Yassine Salime), a Muslim teenager who lives in the city. Yassine is quite taken with Céline and they strike up a friendship, but while she warily hangs out with his friends and goes to nightclubs with him, she stubbornly denies him physical affection, insisting her spiritual path is more important to her than sex. Yassine introduces Céline to his brother Nassir (Karl Sarafidis), a firmly committed Muslim, and in him Céline finds a kindred spirit -- despite the differences in their faiths, their belief is equally powerful, and they share the opinion that they live in a world that has cut itself off from God. When Nassir makes a pilgrimage to the Middle East, Céline joins him, leading her into a strange maze of violence and fear. Hadewijch (the title comes from a Christian author and visionary of the 13th century) was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi