richard_rossi

A beautiful work of art with strong performances and great visuals about Saint Nektarios of Aegina by talented director, Yelena Popovic. It captures the man who lived in a skin of real flesh and the battles he faced on his way to holiness. Every saint was once a sinner, and every sinner can become a saint. He faced the hatred of men and spiritual warfare. Sometimes the greater the anointing, the greater the accusation. A great performance by Mickey Rourke as a paralyzed man who receives miraculous grace. A must-see!

Redford is great and this film shows how such a simple idea with one actor can work. As a filmmaker, it was interesting to see how a dialogue-free movie can work visually with a story that reminded me of Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea." For me, the story was a metaphor or allegory for life and our struggles. Cinematography was good, shot on the Arri Alexa, one of the hot cameras at the moment. The lack of dialogue and having only one actor made it a meditation for me on the visual elements. I hope Redford gets Oscar nomination. I'm inspired that a veteran like Redford had confidence in Chandor to go on this experimental film journey together.