The Monk (2011)

Directed by: Dominik Moll
Country: France / Spain

Review: Adapted from Mathew Lewis’ gothic novel with the same name, “The Monk” is the fourth feature film by the German-born French filmmaker Dominik Moll. Ambrosio was abandoned by his mother and was raised in a monastery. He grew up as a man of huge faith and was respected for his integrity and devotion. When Valerio, an enigmatic man behind a mask, requests to live in the monastery, Ambrosio will be tempted and eventually falls in the traps of evil. Meanwhile, Ambrosio’s recurrent dream about a woman in a red mantle comes true. This woman is Antonia, an innocent soul whose beauty attracted him. Under Valerio's control, Ambrosio will sin and fall in disgrace. “The Monk” was able to create appealing images through dim lights and sinister ambiences, but was trapped by a couple of redundant scenes (the parallel story about a pregnant nun) and inattentive situations (the murder of a monk, which was neglected by everyone). Despite of these disjunctions in the plot, and deviations from the novel, this is a perfectly watchable film and should please those who are attracted by the mysteries of faith and temptations of evil.