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Diary of a Country Priest

2 Ratings: 4.0

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Much angst, but powerfully, if slowly, presented

Jul 22, 2012

by Charley2
posted in Love of Foreign Films

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Diary of a Country Priest (1951) – Robert Bresson's story of a young and inexperienced priest trying to serve God and the villagers of Ambricourt could easily be called, by a smart ass, Diary of a Country Sad Sack. This young man is without social skills, is innocent and tends to the absolute, and finds himself without friends, openly made fun of, and struggling to find the purpose of what he does when no one wants him. We learn he is seriously ill. Bresson films him luminously with a strong hint of Jesus in some scenes.

For many of faith this movie might be too frustrating, even with a sort of redemptive end. For many like me, the movie might not be all that involving if it weren't for Robert Bresson's immense talent as a moviemaker. Even so, the movie is filled with Bresson's words that seem to carry great freight but may sound better than they mean, whatever it is they mean. "Our hidden sins poison the air that others breathe." "The simplest tasks are by no means the easiest." "He [God] is not the master of love. He is love itself. If you would love, don't place yourself beyond love's reach."