Into Great Silence (Die Große Stille)

tonight i finally watched this beautiful film
Into Great Silence
& to my surprise
it is not silent at all!

somehow
the absence of human sounds
brings out the beauty of the
monastery's daily reverberations of life



the film is all the good things
I read on the reviews
about the rhythm and sense of spirituality
but over all…

it is a splendid visual masterpiece!

Danke schön to Herr Philip Gröning
And his camera crew
For portraying the glory of simple life
In such a beautiful film
without any artificial light
and always preserving a high sense of respect
to the monastic life

reminiscences of Andrei Tarkovsky
and Akira Kurosawa styles
has this film
(those beautiful unhurried long shots!)

If you watch this film
Don’t expect too much of the story
There is no plot...
Just let yourself immerse into
The Great Silence...
relax and prepare your eyes & soul to enjoy!
& remember 2 hrs 44 minutes is nothing
when
“for God, there is no past, only present.”

practicalities: have an espresso with a teaspoon of sugar
before going into the theatre, & any other enhnacement
you'd like ;)

a kitchen poem

she opened her mouth
wide
(a mild gesture of her fatigue)
& the fresh scent of peppermint
by her face
prevails

how will it be his embrace?
as a ray of sunlight
that caresses a fresh piece of wood
in a carpentry bench?

fragrances of honey &
of wet soil after rain

***

in my kitchen
there are these higher shelves
the ones i can’t reah
unless i put a stool
underneath my feet
where i store cans, rice, & other food

if there is...
peppermint &...
your arms smell like wood...
the higher shelves
i can’t reach them,
anyway,
while you are away


árbol de lima - Autlán, Jalisco
April 2007