Jessica Hausner’s third feature follows a group of religious believers on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, the iconic shrine in the Pyrenees famed for its apparent miraculous cures. This poignant and intelligent film circles beautifully around the subject of miracles and faith, giving equal time to both skepticism and wonder.
“Lourdes becomes something special, maybe even unique in this viewer’s experience: a tale of competitive healing. So controlled is the movie’s Bressonian restraint that it’s been confused for timid—not so. Hausner refuses to make her story one of spiritual awakening, yet also won’t rule out the possibility of a vengeful God. Does pride come before the fall? Sly and suggestive, Lourdes is a cosmic black comedy that bumps up against the metaphysical.” TIME OUT NEW YORK
“What’s indisputable is the power of cinema in this slippery story… Clearly Testud and Hausner have seriously done their homework, both on disability and religion. Lourdes is sober, but mischievous – there’s even a choice joke about Jesus, Mary and the Holy Ghost deciding where to go on holiday.” I NDEPENDENT
