Stellet licht (2007)

Director:

Carlos Reygadas

Writer:

Carlos Reygadas (writer)

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (Mexico)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A father's faith in God is put to the test when he falls for another woman. |

Plot Keywords:

God | Cult | Absurdism | Betrayal | Pantheism

Awards:

28 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Cornelio Wall	...	Johan
Maria Pankratz	...	Marianne
Miriam Toews	...	Esther
Peter Wall	...	Padre
Jacobo Klassen	...	Zacarias
Elizabeth Fehr	...	Madre
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jacques Brel	...	Himself (archive footage)

Also Known As:

Silent Light (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Lumière silencieuse (France) (festival title)
Luz silenciosa (Mexico)
Stilles Licht (Germany)

Runtime:

145 min | France:142 min | Netherlands:135 min | Canada:127 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:136 min

Country:

Mexico | France | Netherlands | Germany

Language:

Low German | Spanish | French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Chihuahua, Mexico

Company:

Mantarraya Producciones

Trivia:

Mexico's official submission for the 80th Academy Awards, and the first film from that country that is not in Spanish. Under AMPAS's new rules for Best Foreign-Language Film, it is eligible for a nomination.

Slow and slightly bewildering, but visually superb.

The six-minute opening shot of Silent Light depicts the starry night sky giving way, slowly but relentlessly, to the nascent light of the early morning sun. This shot could in itself serve as a captivating short film but in its particular context it serves most obviously to set the overall pace for this film by the Mexican director Carlos Reygadas: slow.

The cast of Silent Light consists primarily of non-actors drawn from the Menonite religious community in which the film is set. Their fine performances create a believable and frequently captivating world for the viewer. We are given insights into the day-to-day lives of the family as the story slowly develops in stages, grimly charting the inexorable demise of the relationship between husband Johan and wife Esther.

Around the stark central narrative there are some charming scenes and some superb camera work. Even the scenes where the children playing in the pond are all-too-aware of the presence of the camera carry a certain fascination. Having said that there are too many shots where the camera lingers to seemingly little effect, except to make the viewer feel distinctly uncomfortable (as one other reviewer has pointed out, there is something rather unnerving about the kissing scene involving Johan and Marianne).

I also feel compelled to add that there is a rather bizarre twist at the end of what would otherwise be a straightforward and powerful story. For me this threw into some confusion the preceding two hours of film and left the story hanging on an oddly unsatisfactory note. Despite the slow pacing and somewhat bewildering ending this is a strong, distinctive piece of film-making and I would recommend that it be viewed in a cinema rather than on the small screen so as to get the best of some superb camera-work.