Agora

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan

This film was also quite overlooked when it was released. Huge budgeted Spanish film, made in english language set in Alexandria at a time of great religious upheaval. Sure to be a controversial subject with a lot of resonance today.

The film is really telling the story of Hypatia, played by Rachel Weisz. And that is interesting in its own right but with the backdrop of the religious politics of the day and the civil war in the city you have a big epic looking backdrop to place her character in.

As impressive as the production design and scale of everything is, I sometimes wish the film had chosen to just focus on one of the elements. You could make the biopic for less than half the cost of this film and I'm sure it would be just as interesting.

But what is fascinating that you get by putting them together is the futility of it all. It actually does serve to emphasise themes and makes a great point. Director Alejandro Amenábar includes these almost godlike point of view shots from the heavens, cameras that zoom in or out right from space to the bustling streets of the city. Again it's all about putting eveything in context and it works rather well.

It's an intriguing story that raises a lot of questions as well. It can be a little stuffy at times but the production is an impressive feat and well worth a look.