The Monk (Dominik Moll, 2011): France

Reviewed by Luke Catena, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2012.

Intense. Terrifying. Incredible. Dominik Moll’s French, romantic thriller, The Monk, comes so close to these descriptors, yet falls unfortunately short. Excellent cinematography accompanied by a great performance by Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, A Dangerous Method) make for an interesting, watchable film. However, it was simply not the supernatural thriller I expected to see.

Set in Spain and based on the 18th Century Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, the story circles around revered Capuchin Monk, Ambrosio (Cassel). Left on the steps of a monastery as an infant and raised as child of God, Ambrosio grows into the most revered friar in Spain. Respected and feared, Ambrosio has led more sinners to repent than all of his brothers combined. Even evil and temptation seem to fear this man of extreme virtue, until the masked Valerio (Deborah Francois) enters the monastery.

The cinematography (Patrick Blossier) propels the story forward with suspense and intensity at times, while really holding it back at others. When one of his brothers threatens to expose Ambrosio’s secret, quick cuts and swish pans accompanied by low-key lighting create a nerve racking scene. However, at the climax of the film, when Ambrosio is about to commit the greatest crime he has ever conceived, the lack of close ups on Vincent Cassel lessen the tension at the worst possible time. Cutting between an authentically terrifying St. Mary’s Day procession and Ambrosio walking the streets of Madrid, really pulling the viewer into the characters perspective would have enhanced the story and created a gut-wrenching conclusion.

The aspect where The Monk truly lacked was the editing. Rushed and thoughtless, it seemed the editor wanted to get out of the editing lab as quickly as possible. Only an hour and a half in length, I found myself wanting to know more about certain characters and plot structures. Not wanting to give any spoilers but a certain relationship between Valerio, Ambrosio and a broken grave should have been explored to a greater extent to support the supernatural thiller genre I was expecting.

Where the film really thrived was upon the shoulders of Vincent Cassel. First of all, I do not speak French, I wish I could but I do not. That being said, whenever I see a movie with Vincent Cassel speaking French, it automatically attracts my attention. Cassel’s character, Ambrosio, is seen as a Christ-like figure, especially during a sermon in which he dons a thorned crown and blood streams down his face. This moment takes Ambrosio into a complete downward spiral, while Cassel reveals his dark side.

Deborah Francois is also great as Valerio, the young boy brought to the monastery upon his own wishes. Costumed in an eerie mask due to burns to his face, Valerio lives in dark chambers atop an old, unused tower. With his unnerving wooden mask and raspy voice, Valerio is the most intriguing character and the reveal of what is under the mask throws an enormous twist in the plot.

Overall a solid film, The Monk creates a good cinematic experience scattered with times of intense moments and great acting throughout. Lacking at times, I wish they could release an extended cut because there is so much more I wish to know. Fortunately, the iBook version of The Monk by Lewis is available for free on the iPad.