The Unknown Saint

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!

A whimsical film with a collection of quirky characters, executed with restraint. Visually beautiful with a sparse cinematography style and pastel coloured palette. A rewarding film for people who don't need loud and fast-paced action all the time.

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.

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.

Very enjoyable storyline and dialogues Great location (Morrocco desert) Excellent casting Sense of humour is so refreshingly different !