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!

What can I say. Absurdity piled on top of farce. Shades of The Life of Brian, and The Field, slap stick from D'Unbeliveables, bizarre. Loved it.

One character was as eccentric as the next. The old women wasting the doctors time, the doctor, the doctors assistant micro dosing to stop himself going mad through boredom, the men who only attended the doctors clinic after he inserted false teeth for the dog, all great. The bald men who were regulars in the barbers, reminds me of an uncle's barber shop here in town in my childhood.

For all the absurdity and farce it was beautifully shot with some really good scenes particularly indoors.

Having watched some Iranian cinema a while back and now Moroccan "The West" could learn a thing or two from these directors. This is a little gem that had me reflecting on and smiling about it for a day or so after watching.

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.

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.

A modern fable about how God works in a mysterious ways, this film is too funny. In a subdued deadpan comedy manner, of course. Aki Kaurismäki and Wes Anderson would be proud.