The Monk (French: Le moine), 2011.
Directed by Dominik Moll.
Starring Vincent Cassel, Déborah François, Josephine Japy, Catherine Mouchet, Geraldine Chaplin, Sergi López and Jordi Dauder.
SYNOPSIS:
A respected and virtuous monk finds himself giving in to temptation after a mysterious presence enters the monastery, leading him down a dark path of depravity.
Expecting little from a low-budget adaptation of an eighteenth century Gothic masterpiece, I was surprised to see Vincent Cassel was headlining this new screen version of Matthew Lewis’ The Monk. As a novel which paved the way for likeminded authors to delve into the dirty underbelly of corruption and sexuality within the Catholic Church, The Monk is certainly deserving of the justice Dominik Moll’s film does it.
With scarce scenery and the haunting sound of the wind as its motif, The Monk immediately purveys the isolated and empty atmosphere of the book. Vincent Cassel’s Ambrosio, initially a virtuous man, is depicted as tumbling further and further down a path of sin and scandal as he is repeatedly tempted by Valerio – known as Rosario in the novel – who turns out to be a beautiful woman named Matilda who has infiltrated Ambrosio’s monastery while posing as an initiate monk. Valerio embodies both Satan and the Virgin Mary, and Deborah Francois acts out the ambiguous balance between sin and innocence to the point of perfection in her portrayal of Valerio. On one hand she is a doting and devoted follower of Ambrosio, and on the other she is the seductress, who tempts Ambrosio away from virtue and practices witchcraft to help Ambrosio successfully sleep with (/rape) Antonia, the innocent maiden who is the focus of his rapidly changing affections. The ambiguity of Valerio is one of the outstanding characterisations of the novel, and it is well executed in the film. Images of the Virgin Mary and the barren landscapes of Spanish wastelands encompass this tone. At times she is purity and goodness, and at others she is pure sin and temptation, the two themes which the film revolve around. I kind of hoped for a similar attention to detail in the character of Agnes, who has just as many facets, but sadly Moll overlooked her story – I assume for more devotion to the juicier parts of the story.
Vincent Cassel’s character also undergoes a similarly astonishing fall from grace. An eighteenth century audience would have been positively scandalised by what Ambrosio gets up to whilst the monastery is sleeping. A Freudian psychoanalyst would have an absolute field day. And although the content would not necessarily make women faint and men quake in modern times, Moll still includes all those ingredients to maintain the shock factor; there’s incest, there’s rape, there’s murder – everything you need for a good psych thriller, which despite the offbeat Gothic setting is still a category The Monk can comfortably fall into. But what we’re concerned with is the portrayal of Ambrosio by Cassel, which although is not as entrancing as Francois, is still pretty good. His inner torment-turned apathy is disturbing to watch, and although the story is by nature highly sexual, the portrayal of it is not smut. It holds the balance between the two expertly.
The ultimate success of this film for me though, are the sometimes terrifying images of religious obedience and indoctrination within the church. At a time where scandals were being exposed constantly, and a country which had once been utterly devoted to the Catholic Church was now turning away from it in light of scientific advancement, the ritualistic and unsettling behaviour of the church was exploited at the perfect moment. The delicate capture of this in some of scenes borders on the disturbing and surreal. Deeply unnerving for any person who knows a little about the subject, and still quite delicious for anyone who likes a good scandal.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★
Kirsty Capes
Originally published August 20, 2012. Updated April 11, 2018.
