Final Vows

In a stressful, complicated age such as this, there's much to be said for wanting to pursue a quiet, contemplative life, the attraction to which can be quite strong once one gets a taste of it. So it is for the Cistercian sisters of the Santa Rita Abbey, who reside in a modest monastic compound in the idyllic, stunningly beautiful high desert of southern Arizona. These remarkable women, profiled in filmmaker Victoria Westover's intimate and revelatory new documentary, have freely chosen to commit themselves to this humble, stable and dutiful but eminently satisfying way of life by following the Rule of St. Benedict in service to God. Filmed over the course of four years, the director has captured an inside look at this little-seen order of devotees to the Divine through interviews with the sisters and footage of their everyday lives. The film thus presents a wide-ranging view of monastic life that is likely to be far different from what one might expect. This overview includes both the spiritually introspective elements of their existence, as well as the practical aspects of daily living, such as their work in manufacturing communion wafers, the abbey's primary source of income. In turn, the film also shows how the sisters' choice of this calling serves as a means to explore and discover their individual purpose in life through understanding their relationship with God. To this end, they have each taken different paths to get where they are, but the bottom line in each case is the same: finding one's place in life and leading the existence one is meant to follow in expressing one's true, authentic self and thereby setting an example for others to follow. In addition, even though the sisters are part of a religious order, their emphasis here appears to be more oriented to a spiritual approach, one less aimed at the group experience of religion and more directed toward the individual expression of spirituality. Consequently, this is something that those who have become disenchanted by dogmatic religious experiences may find refreshing and enlightening, providing a rejuvenated outlook for one's personal spiritual life. No concerted effort is made here to try and convert anyone to anything; in fact, several of the sisters make a point of noting that the demands associated with a commitment such as this can be substantial, observing that it's not for everyone, especially in light of the nature of the vows one must take in following through on this process. Interestingly, though, this is not to suggest that this is a dour, ever-serious, thoroughly stringent lifestyle. In fact, it's portrayed as one filled with love, life and laughter, as seen, for example, in the wry, plainspoken, sometimes-whimsical observations of upbeat, ever-cheerful but self-effacing Prioress Sister Victoria (a.k.a., "Sister Vicki"), reflections of the inherent joy that comes with finding oneself and living a productive and thoughtful life through an experience such as this. As a result of all this, then, "Final Vows" is a truly eye-opening examination of a way of life that carries the tremendous potential for profound satisfaction, fulfillment and peace of mind at a time when those commodities might be hard to find otherwise. It's a cinematic experience that delivers more than what one might expect at first glance, showing us that there are aspects of life we may well be overlooking and should consider pursuing, even if we don't follow the same steps as the sisters in achieving that goal. Rather, this is a work that could well prompt us to emulate the inspiration and enlightenment these women have attained - and that we can attain for ourselves, too.