Ave Maryam

Razka Robby Ertanto's 2019 Indonesian film is set in a convent caring for elderly nuns. Maryam has worked there for years without questioning the order; a closeness forms with a newly arrived priest and she is caught between her vows and that feeling. The subject is the decision not being made. Maryam neither leaves nor admits what she feels; the narrative preserves that suspension for a long time and does not tie it to a crisis scene. The cinematography is the film's strongest element. The corridors of the convent, the light and the composition are arranged close to painting; the dialogue is sparse and the pace very low. The narrative does not criticise religious life but shows it from inside. Who it's for: those who like slow cinema and visually ambitious work. Who it's not for: viewers waiting for event; the film consists almost entirely of looks and silence.