Saturday, November 19, 2011

Agora (R) 8.0

Agora (2009): A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hopes of pursuing freedom while also falling in love with his master, the famous female philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria. (7.1)

Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Writers: Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil
Stars: Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella and Oscar Isaac

This movie is about Hypatia, the philosopher and the mathematician of Alexandria. It is about how a woman in a male dominated society goes about thinking critically of astronomy, religion, and life in general. The story is told in the perspective of a "pagan" and that fact goes a long way to depict what truly took place in that period of time. It shows what people are capable of doing when blinded by the religion and the unquestioned faith in a god. The movie is fabulous. The telling of the story, the acting (specially that of Rachel Weisz), the sets, the camera angles, the use of light, the attention to detail ... all of them are superb. The historically accurate story doesn't paint a favorable picture of Christianity, and hence, I think, the movie hasn't garnered a higher critical acclaim. This movie shows (documented evidence) how the knowledge and civilization has been destroyed in the name of religion not to mention the countless innocent lives slaughtered. People can be so cruel in their blind faith. [Agora is the Greek word for open space for discussion or the marketplace. That's what Hypatia had before it was destroyed by the rise of Christianity in Alexandria.] My Rating: 8.0