Paradise: Faith

2013
6.7| 1h49m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 05 July 2013 Released
Producted By: Coproduction Office
Country: Germany
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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For Anna Maria, paradise lies with Jesus, and she devotes her time to door-to-door missionary work. One day after years of absence, her husband, an Egyptian Muslim confined to a wheelchair, comes home—and soon prayers are replaced by fighting.

Genre

Drama

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Director

Ulrich Seidl

Production Companies

Coproduction Office

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Paradise: Faith Audience Reviews

ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!
Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
paul2001sw-1 It's hard to know what to make of Ulrich Siedl's 'Paradise' trilogy, a series of films about the lives of unhappy middle-aged women. 'Faith' tells the story of someone dementedly committed to spreading the love of Jesus, in a life tragically devoid of any love from other humans. Her unexplained marriage to a paralysed, Muslim man is the source of especial unhappiness, although she seeks out misery apparently believing this is what God wants of her. It's grim, and believable, but the purpose of the first two films, with their pathetic yet unsympathetic protagonists and complete lack of redemption narrative, remains unclear. Somehow I'm not expecting a song-and-dance in film three either.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) This is "Glaube" or "Faith", the second chapter from Ulrich Seidl's "Paradise" trilogy. The movie runs for slightly under 110 minutes and features Maria Hofstätter as Anna Maria in basically every scene from start to finish. It is nice to see she won an Austrian Film award for her performance. Ver deserving. This movie runs for almost 110 minutes and it is a steady progress. It actually starts as a really light film. It had a nice comedic touch when we see the protagonist bring Virgin Mary to all these households. The reactions from the people and the way Anna Maria reacts to them felt truly authentic. Well-written film. There is that long scene at the hoarder's apartment, which is really hilarious, but it is also the ending of the film in terms of comedy. Everything afterward is drama and some will shake you to the bones, especially the last 10 minutes.I am always a bit careful with the term "masterpiece", but I think in terms of films centered around the difficult topic of religion, this one here gets everything right. It does not try to be monumental in the grand scheme of things, but tells us the story of one particular person, for whom religion is the most important aspect in life. There is certainly a lot to discuss about this one here. Was Anna Maria fulfilled with her life? Was she maybe even happy? It seems like she had no real human relationships with anybody else other than her church group. However, does she really need other relationships if she has found God?This was the second time already that I watched this film, saw it the first time when it hit theaters, and I must say it has even gotten better on rewatch. It was smart from Seidl to include these sequences in which she goes out with Radio Maria and get the little statue out to the people. A much needed form of comic relief that still does not take away anything from this films seriousness, especially with the last couple scenes. Gonna check out "Hope", the last chapter soon, check out my review for that one as well if you want. I liked that one as well the first time I saw it, so I hope I will enjoy it as much again. But more importantly, if you like films about religion, do not miss out on that excellent effort here. Highly recommended. The only minor criticism I have is the poster from this film here. It looks a bit like forbidden fruit and that is totally not what this film is about. Other than that, a sublime watch.
Sindre Kaspersen Austrian screenwriter, producer and director Ulrich Seidl's fourth feature film which he co-wrote with screenwriter Veronika Franz and co-produced, is the second part of his Paradise trilogy which was preceded by "Paradise: Love" (2012) and succeeded by Paradise: Hope (2013). It premiered In competition at the 69th Venice Film Festival in 2012, was shot on location in Austria and is a Austria-Germany-France co-production which was produced by producers Philippe Bober and Christine Ruppert. It tells the story about a middle-aged Catholic missionary worker named Anna Maria who is a member of a minor group of religious adults called Legio Corbis Jesu who promises their number one man that they will make Austria Catholic. Anna Maria lives on her own, has a cat she tends to from time to time and likes to sing and play on her keyboard, but her relationship with religion which goes beyond comparison is the most important aspect of her life and after starting on her vacation she begins walking from door to door imposing her message upon whomever she meets and insisting that they join her in praying to the Virgin Mary.Distinctly and statically directed by Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl, this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the main character's point of view, draws an exceptional and moving portrayal of an utterly devout and headstrong Austrian woman whose faith is challenged when she is reunited with her husband named Nabil. While notable for its naturalistic milieu depictions, distinct production design by production designers Andreas Donhauser and Renate Martin, cinematography by American cinematographer Edward Lachman and Austrian cinematographer Wolfgang Thaler, use of sound and use of colors, this character-driven and dialog-driven story and scrutinizing examination of religion which stands out amongst the director's three individual and connected films and which is as hilariously comical as it is seriously unsettling, depicts a heartrending and close to surreal study of character.This conversational, situational and theatrical drama which is set in Austria and where the very unorthodox relationship that the sister of the sex tourist in Kenya has with the man of her prayers is disturbed by the arrival of her spouse, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity, exceedingly brilliant dialog, instrumental and vocal music and the poignant acting performances by Austrian actress Maria Hofstätter and actor Nabil Saleh. A minimalistic, dramatic, cinematic and incisive narrative feature which gained, among other awards, the Special Jury Prize Ulrich Seidl at the 69th Venice Film Festival in 2012.
berndporr We have a loser at the focus of the story and gets humiliated in a variety of different situations. These themselves were constructed to create the classical gritty art-house feel. It feels as if made my a film school graduate who got the assignment to create a collage of gritty situations related to faith. This resulted in a storyline which had no credibility. I'm surprised that this film has received awards at festivals. It was one of the most unoriginal films I've seen. This is not only related to the story but also to lighting and general feel. On a positive note the encounters she had with "real" people was well observed but were just three excellent short films. This film reminded me in many places of films made by Peter Mullen and British Social Realism which is repeated over and over again.