Beyond The Hills

Romanian director Christian Mingiu shows again how he can inject the ordinary with a certain edge in this adaptation of Titiana Niculescu Bran's novel, which in turn was based on a true story. The running time here, however, is indulgent.

Havng once lived in the close confines of an orphanage, Voichita (Straten) and Alina's (Straten) friendship grew into a sexual one but Voichita, now a nun at a remote monastery, has turned to God. Voichita takes Alina back to the self-reliant monastery run by the bearded Father Nusu (Andruitu), who has turned his monastery into something of a cult. The arrival of nonbeliever Alina upsets the peaceful order and Nusu works hard to eject her without upsetting the nuns.

The shadow of communism has dominated the New Wave to date but here Mingiu turns his attention to another kind of oppression: the church, its hypocrisy, suppression of individuality (dressed similarly the nuns could morph into each other) and sexuality - a frustrated Alina, railing against her former lover's lack of attention, burns her cell and succumbs to fits. One such episode of hysterics lands her in hospital where a doctor, after callously prying into her private life in earshot of the entire ward, prescribes medication and prayer – "it'll help" he says. Religion has replaced Ceausescu.

Mingiu doesn't get into the expected seediness of cults – the nuns call him ‘Papa' but there isn't a hint of sexual abuse here; all Nusu wants is to turn Alina out. "We're not a charity," he says without irony. However, Voichita's protestations - half because she still loves Alina, half because it's not the Christian thing to do – change his mind and, as he honestly believes, he tries to save her soul. He's not the charismatic bullying type we normally associate with cult leaders.

Visually, the film only comes alive during the winter sequence but for the most part, with its cramped interiors, it's a rather dull film to look at; 4 Months… wasn't exactly Malickian in cinematography either but at least it had the novelty of 1980s Bucharest to show us.

While it might take too long getting there, Beyond The Hills cleverly disguises its ending.