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Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun, The

EMAILPRINTFirst Hand Films

Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun, The reviews
66
10.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 9 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 3 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Documentary

Written by:

Directed by: Pernille Rose Grønkjær

Release Date:
Theatrical: August 29, 2007
DVD: February 5, 2008

Running Time: 84 minutes, Color

Origin: Denmark

Language(s): Danish / English

Summary

RATING: N/A

Starring Mr. Vig, and Sister Ambrosija

Mr. Vig is an elderly, deeply eccentric, never-married Dane, living alone in a ramshackle castle; he dreams of donating his homestead to the Russian Orthodox Church to become a monastery. In a long, black overcoat, with a shock of unruly white hair, and glasses perched on the tip of his nose, he looks like a character straight out of Dickens. Enter Sister Ambrosija, a remarkably attractive young Russian nun, who arrives with a small entourage and plans to whip the place into shape. A whirlwind of activity (days begin at 5:30 am), she insists upon extensive repairs; Mr. Vig wants Band-Aids, whereas she suggests surgery. Their contest of wills plays out in humorous, offbeat encounters that take unexpected turns as two unlikely people find companionship and common ground. Hauntingly shot, The Monastery is a modern fairytale with timeless roots. (Film Forum)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

TV Guide Ken Fox

Against all odds, you'll leave this remarkable film caring quite a bit for the old coot -- surely a sign of a very good documentary.

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75

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Gronkjaer's cinematography is pleasing, with beautiful sunsets and tranquil snowscapes. I won't give away the ending, but it might bring a tear to your eye.

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70

Variety Leslie Felperin

Using material shot sporadically over six years, TV-experienced helmer Pernille Rose Gronkjaer builds an affectionate but admirably unsentimental portrait of her eccentric, headstrong protagonists.

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70

Village Voice Aaron Hillis

Unlike far too many human-interest docs today, director Pernille Rose Grønkjær's fantastic little character portrait doesn't rest on the strength of its personality, with prudent attention paid to aesthetic nuances and the growing quasi-love that the titular bickerers have for one another.

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70

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

An oddly graceful combination of fairy tale and romantic comedy, set in a forgotten corner of the world.

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67

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

Between their bickering, Grønkjær's offscreen prompting, and the sappy, ubiquitous soundtrack, The Monastery is like the opposite of "Into Great Silence."

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63

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

It may be that Gronkjaer couldn't get the nun to open up to her. But not knowing much about her creates an awkward imbalance that Vig, fascinating as he is, can't overcome.

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50

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

A curious little film. On the surface, it's a story about one man's mission to create an Orthodox monastery in Denmark, and along the way it manages to say something about everyone's desire to be remembered after they pass away.

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50

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Despite some pretty seasonal photography and evocative scenes of the nuns’ rigorous daily rituals, which involve many hours of prayer, The Monastery is a flighty, disorganized film with a blurry timeline and a wandering attention span.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

James C. gave it a10:
The first good European film I've seen about Russian Orthodoxy. Far surpasses the glitz of Ostrov -- The Island. Understated and very real! This is a documentary... real people, real situation.

Fenar A. gave it a10:
It was one of the best documentary of last year.

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