Filming a miracle: Ordet, Silent Light, and the spirit of contemplative cinema

Contemplating Law, Film and Mennonites

“…As we make our way through this very slow movie, our senses are enlivened and we see anew. 106 We contemplate law, film, Mennonites and a miracle. Warner says, "these miracles aren't simply offered to our gaze; they are the very event of our becoming able to see and think differently, impossibly."…”

“…Rick Warner describes this as one of the components of contemplative film, namely making the film medium manifest. 57 He also notes the multi-coloured lens flares accompany expressions of love in this kissing scene. 58 Niels Niessen notes: "More than to the presence of the filmmaker's equipment, these spots testify to his refusal to protect the image from the abundance of light."…”

“…In the beautiful, innocent, yet sensuous next scene, 61 where Johan and Esther bathe their children in a large pond, the kids look straight at the camera and so viewers absolutely know the camera is there. 62 We know we are being drawn in. Hoberman says, "Everything in this relatively chaste production is monumentally deliberate, from the human interactions to the stolidly bucolic representation of Mennonite domesticity to the extraordinary, widescreen landscape shots that bracket the action."…”

“…Warner terms this emblematic of the contemplative mode of Reygadas' film. Warner describes a generalized dispersion of the miraculous resurrection 101 that is dedicated to keeping it on an ordinary plane, to making it just a normal part of the everyday. 102 The miracle is inscripted in the ordinary.…”

“…Rick Warner notes that global art cinema like Stellet Licht has a contemplative tendency, being pensive and minimalistic, emphasizing lags and physical surroundings more than dialogue. 24 Reygadas takes a classical neorealist style, according to Niels Niessen, 25 and communicates a sense of sublimity about the human condition through cinematic realism, 26 according to Greg Watkins. Sheldon Penn says Reygadas' film is in the melodramatic romantic tradition, 27 providing the viewer with "paradoxical naturalism," 28 albeit "a naturalism of strangeness rather than familiarity."…”