It's called a horror movie and sounds like a horror movie, but it's not a horror movie. This, in fact, is one of the most fascinating movies I've seen in a long time. It's dark and tense and is getting a RECOMMEND from me! Stars Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) and is directed by Christopher Smith (Triangle).
The story: takes place during the black plague (1348). A young monk who is in love with a girl goes with a group of mercenaries to find a small village that has been untouched by the plague. The mercenary says it's to show that this pagan village isn't special so people won't turn away from God, but then he tells the young monk that really they are going to find a necromancer -- someone who can bring the dead back to life. At the village, the mercenaries are captured and now the villagers try to convince them to renounce their god and accept their pagan worship.
Was it good?
This movie absolutely fascinated me!
What the writer did so well is to put people on opposite sides. People talk about ideas, about beliefs, about God. And all the characters are complex and interesting. They all have faith, although in a different way. This is a much smarter, more intellectual film than the title or storyline might lead you to believe. Yes, it is dark and it is violent, but that is just the stakes these people are fighting for when they really believe their immortal souls, or the souls of others are on the line. One of the most fascinating twists is when the mercenaries are captures and now the pagan villagers begin torturing them to get them to convert. It's a fascinating reversal.
I loved that it was played realistically (although there is a twist near the end that made it more realistic but less enjoyable for me). I loved that the people weren't belief-cynics, people who think God and religion is garbage for stupid people, but that they were people who believed and cared although in different ways, and not always to the same God. And I loved that they god Sean Bean to play one of the leads. This is an actor's movie and he was fantastic!
If this battle of belief between people who believe but in different things interests you then this is a must see.
*** RECOMMEND ***
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