“Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.”
“The Cross is steady while the world turns.”
-- Motto of the Order of Carthusians
Into Great Silence, now on Catholic streaming service Formed, is not about the absence of speech, but the presence of God.
Even without foreknowledge of the chaos and confusion of the 21st Century, the author of Psalm 46 may have discovered an escape from our hectic pace of life when he penned the words “Be still and know that I am God.”
The need for God's divine presence and security in the midst of utter chaos often goes unappreciated in today's world, and even less appreciated is the silence that could open the door to God's presence.
It was that kind of silence that prompted German filmmaker Philip Gröning to envision a film about the Carthusian monks of La Grande Chartreuse, a Catholic monastery high in the French Alps. The monks' life is marked by silence and solitude. For 18 hours each day, the monks remain quiet –- connecting not with one another or with the outside world, but only with God.
Gröning was drawn to the monks' rugged asceticism and their deep faith; and in 1984, he wrote to the Carthusian order, requesting permission to produce a film about their community.
For the Carthusians, though, decisions about such important queries require careful thought and prayer; and it took 16 years for the Carthusian order to respond, accepting his plan to document their lifestyle and inviting him to live with them in the monastery.
Gröning agreed, accepting the invitation on their terms. He moved alone to the Carthusians' enclosure where he lived, in silence and without visitors, for six months in 2002 and 2003.
He managed his camera and recording devices on his own, without assistance and without electric lighting to enhance his videos. He filmed the monks as they went about their day, praying, working, eating, walking along the long hallways in the medieval monastery.
The result was Into Great Silence, a 2005 documentary film which captures their austere way of life.
For viewers who are accustomed to thundering musical introductions in the theater, Into Great Silence is a new experience: like the monks whose story he recounts, Gröning's film is jarringly quiet.
The viewer is drawn deep into the experience, sitting alongside a monk as he washes a pan, whispers a prayer, walks slowly down a shaded path through the trees.
There are sounds –- not of voices, but of footsteps in the hall, birds announcing the dawn, and church bells summoning the Carthusians to prayer.
Only on rare occasions do the monks leave the monastery together –- but once outside, they are free to talk, to laugh together, and to enjoy a few minutes sliding on the hill or enjoying the beauty of God's creation. Then it's back to the life of silence, a life in which God is their daily companion.
Into Great Silence has been applauded for its authenticity and its spiritual relevance, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a positive score of 89%. The U.S. Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting named it one of the ten best films of 2007.
The film received multiple awards, including from the Sundance Festival, European Film Awards. It was named “best documentary film” by the Bavarian Film Award, the German Association of Film Critics, and other awards in Germany, Puerto Rico, and Italy.
There are indeed other films which have examined monastic life and asceticism over the years, although not with the minimalist style that characterizes Into Great Silence. But, these films have also explored the meaning and benefit of the monastic life, some with greater box-office success, if less critical acclaim.
Some of those faith-themed films are:
Of Gods and Men (2010, directed by Xavier Beauvois): This French film follows seven Catholic monks serving a poor Muslim community in Algeria.
Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer (2010, directed by Norris Chumley): This documentary explains Eastern spirituality, focusing on prayer, silence, and living icons.Below is the whole film:
The Nun's Story (1959, directed by Fred Zimmerman): This popular classic film stars Audrey Hepburn as a young nun who must learn humility and obedience.
The Monastery: Mr. Vig & The Nun (2006, by Pernille Rose Gronkjaer): This Danish-language film recounts the struggles of a Danish businessman and a strong-willed sister.
There are other entries in this film genre, to be sure; and a quick Google search will provide still more fodder for those seeking films related to monastic life.
As for Into Great Silence, the film is currently available to watch for free on Formed.com. Amazon does offer DVDs.
Image: Adobe Stock
Kathy Schiffer writes regularly for the National Catholic Register and Catholic World Report, and for other Catholic publications, including Evangelization and Culture, Crisis Magazine, Aleteia, Zenit, the Michigan Catholic, and Legatus Magazine. She’s worked for Catholic and other Christian ministries since 1988, as radio producer, director of special events, and media-relations coordinator.
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