Le Miracle du Saint Inconnu

Trying to explore and widen my boundaries in films, I decided to attend the 9th Arab Film Festival in Busan. The truth on how I stumbled to The Unknown Saint was I just randomly picked a film with an interesting premise and a suitable time. As I went in with little to no information, The Unknown Saint manages to surprise me not just being an entertaining feature but also a film that filled with a deep message about belief and how does it affect the surroundings.

As the film starts, the audience is introduced to a vast desert with appealing cinematography despite its monochrome setting. Then, we set our eyes to a young nameless man nicknamed "The Thief" (Younes Bouab) who panicked due to his car being broke and set on foot with a bag of money. My mind suddenly recalled how similar the film to Coen Brother's No Country for Old Man" and the lesser-known Indonesian film Mouly Surya's "Marlina The Murderer in Four Acts" in term of its visual style. However, as The Thief buries the bag of money in the hill, I realized this would be an absurd film with the reason for digging it similar to a grave. Yet, it will be a ride since first-time director Alaa Eddine Aljem introduces its conflict in a quick and effective way, something most films lack these days with its long set-ups.

Years later, The Thief was released from prison to retrieve the bag only to discover a shrine to an Unknown Saint was built upon his loot with a new village surrounds it. Simply could be a heist thriller, Aljeem approached it as Anderson's deadpan comedy added with a black and satirical but careful approach. Seriously, it's actually a no laughing matter when "The Thief" disturbs a man who's praying so he could receive a service. But I just burst out of laughter as the moment is perfectly captured for a black comedy.

Slowly, the film introduces more supporting characters that reside in the village such as a pair of son and father that work as a farmer, the shrine guard, and his dog, a new doctor who comes to fill the position of the village medic, and many more. This all seems unnecessary to the central plot. But from the role of barber on making gold teeth to the doctor change of job being a central place of hangout instead of taking care of the patients, it does give lots of giggles and chuckles to the audience of the village absurd situation and behavior. As the film progresses, the supporting characters do not only connect the film main plot but serves as a portrayal of how the shrine affects their life.

The shrine itself symbolized as a false god and with the shrine exists, there are some that are being advantaged and disadvantaged with it. The shrine guard is being advantaged with it. Having no personal connection to religion, he instead uses the shrine to take the role of a guard in order to receive popularity from the village and make money from it. Meanwhile, the farmer's family with a deep connection to religion, have a feeling that the shrine being a curse from God as the villagers worship a false god and start to lose belief in their religion. These small examples do show how religion itself could make a cheeky advantage to someone but could shake someone's belief to lost their own faith. However, these messages are very subtly hidden that makes mainstream audience should enjoy the absurdity that the film present without diving too deep.

It's not without its flaws too, where the film became too repetitive that make the slow pace became unbearable. It just becomes overlong with more problems that don't give the "kick" to the audience to be engaged. It also loses its absurdity as the film gets closer to the end and became more grounded in reality. I understand why Aljem did this, but the momentum just vanished slowly without its ridiculousness. The deadpan still exists though through the actors' performance on giving a plain expression in each comedy that's simply fun to look at.

The Unknown Saint, being a debut by the director by Alaa Eddine Aljem, is a charming comedy that filled with a deep message about beliefs that mainstream audience could enjoy as it never takes itself too deeply. It's a very recommended piece of work if you like Wes Anderson films or simply liking a heist caper added with absurd flavor. Looking forward to more of his films in the future.

What could have been a comedy cum thriller is actually reduced to a slow, painful, mini comic storey. It has so many common sense holes in storey that after each mini episode within it one wonders how this was allowed to happen or how it can happen? But the seens with barber shop and ladies coming to doctor with flimsy ailments is more entertaining. But main part of shrine and recovering loot and unexpected ending are very boring. What could have been a great comic thriller is a painful, slow process.

This film is not fitting at all into most of today's movie styles. The story is quite simple and this simplicity renders the film into a powerful piece of art. The story is told in a dry manner - dry like the desert people try to survive. There is nothing to live on, except their faith. Three main characters present how faith can empower people: faith in material resurrection (thief getting "his" hidden money), faith in keeping the traditions (the guard) and faith in getting back to old state of the world (father hoping for rain in the desert). There are many elements in the film that makes it very much worth watching, indeed not just once. There are no spectacular elements in the whole movie, just the accurate but still compassionate depiction of what motivates three people in a hopeless village in the desert. The creator humbly presents the reality most human beings have to face, far away from the busy centres of economic and cultural life. Watch it and make the effort to internalise the message.

There were certainly moments of boredom whilst watching this, but gradually the characters began to take on a life of their own, the subtle humour began to shine.

Writing this, a day after watching it, I am thinking fondly of so many of them - the mausoleum guard and his touching dedication to his dog; the barber and his different shaving creams for different customers; the nurse and doctor quietly sipping home-brewed alcohol to get them through the day; the two thieves exchanging glances that wouldn't be amiss in a Laurel and Hardy skit.

By the end, despite the slow-pace and lack of action I wanted to carry on watching these people.

There are some wonderful moments of deadpan humour and there is an underlying spirituality to the whole piece without it being at all pretentious or pandering.

Like the characters waiting for rain after a ten-year drought - your patience will be rewarded if you give this movie a chance to envelop you.

I saw "The Unknown Saint" at the Philadelphia Film Festival and it was one of the bigger surprises for me. I had pretty low expectations for the story but ended up really liking it....though I also am sure it's not for all tastes...mostly because the story is a bit slow. I see it as being deliberately paced....and hopefully you'll feel the same.

The story begins with a crook burying his loot in the Moroccan desert. He's soon caught and sent to prison. Sometime later, he's released...and immediately returns to the desert to retrieve the money. However, he has a serious problem....a shrine to the 'unknown saint' has been built atop the ground where he buried the money!! And, the place is guarded day and night! So how will this dumb crook and his even dumber accomplice get the money? Or, will they?

What made this so enjoyable were all the little supporting characters throughout the story. You cannot help but care about many of them and their lives....and this is a real tribute to the script and deft direction. Well worth seeing and also humorous in a very offbeat way!