“Engrossing”
— Guy Lodge, Variety
“Extraordinary…[a] deeply uncomfortable film but also weirdly gripping.”
— Cath Clarke, The Guardian
SYNOPSIS
The result of eleven years’ hard labor by director Valentina Pedicini (Where the Shadows Fall, From the Depths), culminating in a three and a half month shoot, FAITH documents the daily life in the remote monastic sect, the Guerrieri della Luce (The Warriors of Light).
Founded over twenty years ago and composed of around twenty shaven-headed, white-clad devotees — most of whom are former martial arts champions — the “Warrior Monks” and “Guardian Mothers” as they call themselves, live in near isolation in a monastery in Bolzano, Italy. Adhering to a belief which is a curious blend of Kung Fu, Shaolin doctrine and devout Catholicism, The Warriors of Light follow the Master, a rigorous martial arts trainer with complete control over their daily rituals and environment. And, each day, the utterly devoted sect trains with a highly strenuous and exhausting routine so they’ll be ready to save humanity on the day of the Apocalypse. Cath Clarke of The Guardian says, “At the start, Faith could be a quirky tale about a bunch of wacky eccentrics as it follows the monks’ daily routines and rituals: combat training, prayer, boxing lessons for teeny toddlers, a monastery meeting to discuss expelling a monk…But there’s no mistaking the increasingly sinister mood.”
With unprecedented access, director Pedicini, shooting in stark black & white, was granted an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at a way of life defined by discipline and unshakeable ideals and FAITH, ultimately, is a radical look at the devotion that bares, through punches, the human need to believe in a higher force.
FAITH (2019)
Directed by: Valentina Pedicini
Produced by: Donatella Palermo
Cinematography: Bastian Esser
Editing: Luca Mandrile
Sound: Simone Brizio, Oscar Stiebits
Genre: World Cinema/Documentary
RT: 94 minutes
Language: Italian with English Subtitles
