Miasto Movie in March/Urban Spirituality
Starting in March and continuing in April we will be looking for any manifestation of spirituality in the city
With the advent of spring, as part of the “Miasto Movie” screenings, we have launched a new thematic cycle. We will try to portray or rather capture, if only fleetingly, the ever ethereal and always elusive nature of urban spirituality.
Each city has its own secrets, its own facets, upon which the civic identity is founded. So far we have showcased among others the city’s scary and seedy side, full of dark mysteries and dangers; we have visited sad and lonesome cities as well as fantastical fairy-tale like and imaginary ones. Now, our goal is to reach beneath the surface, to go deeper than before so as to see the more metaphysical aspects of the city. We construe (and construct) urban spirituality in a number of ways. On the one hand, each city is typified by its own aura, its own unprecedented climate and unrepeatable character. Paying each city a visit, we experience a range of different moods or emotional states. On the other hand, it is the people that make the city complete. If there are people – and there are people indeed – be they residents, tourists, travellers or casual visitors, there are beliefs, customs, assertions, etc. Each person has a set of convictions that are dear to him or her. Each person relies on some form of judgment or belief while making life-changing decisions. These axioms may be of religious or scientific nature. They may be also traditional or private – possibilities are virtually countless. All of them form particles constituting the spiritual tissue of the city and its community.
What we are about to experience is a unique, film journey in search of different manifestations of urban spirituality.
Original audio with Polish subtitles.
„The Apostle”, directed by Robert Duvall, running time: 134’, 1997. - auteur cinema by Robert Duvall that touches upon the theme of guilt and redemption as well as the representation and role of religion and church in the American South. In “The Apostle” Duvall, renowned primarily for his outstanding roles in “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now”, is both an actor and a director. In “The Apostle”, Duvall plays the title role of a charismatic disciple called Sonny Dewey, a Pentecostal preacher who – blinded by a fit of fury – hits the lover of his wife (Farrah Fawcett) with a baseball bat. When the man falls into a coma, Sonny decides to run away and change his ways. He heads for Louisiana where he sets up a new religious community, becoming its leader. As a self-styled apostle, he quickly rises to fame, gaining popularity. Everything is about to change its course when his forsaken wife recognizes his voice broadcast on the radio. Apart from Duvall and Fawcett, the film features captivating supporting roles of among others Billy Bob Thornton and Miranda Richardson; the score was composed by David Mansfield.