If my last public screening at TIFF was any indication, Bruno Dumont’s FIPRESCI prize-winning film will be a difficult, less obvious film to market. I’m somewhat surprised that out of all the films that have remained unbought from Toronto, that it’s Hadewijch that has found a home. IFC Films will have their work cut out for them – the film’s heavy discourse on how religion can bring out the best and worst in people. IFC plans a 2010 release.
The film is about a religious novice (Julie Sokolowski) whose ecstatic, blind faith leads to her expulsion from a convent. Returning to her former life, Hadewijch reverts to being Céline, a Parisienne and daughter of a diplomat. However, her passion for God, rage and encounters with Khaled and Nassir soon lead her down a dangerous path.
If you’ve seen the film In Toronto or the New York Film Fest, let us know what your thoughts.
