Blessed Art Thou

This quirky little melodrama turns on a physical anomaly in a monastery that's hailed as a modern miracle by the younger clergy and labeled a freak occurrence by the elders. Brother Anselm believes that he's been visited by the angel Gabriel, and he's very vocal about the incident. He's told by the order's stoic administration to pipe down; when he doesn't, he's placed in solitary confinement. Upon his release two months later, Brother Anselm is beardless, equipped with heaving mammary glands, and very pregnant -- all of which creates further consternation in the hallways of God.

The premise behind Tim Disney's film (based on a story by Rachel Ingalls) is provocative; the contemporary setting is also ingenious, with the monastery trying to move into the high-tech world, and Martha Hackett strikes a soulful presence as the gender-toggling monk. But once the breasts come out from under the robe and the first cry of heresy rings out, the film doesn't know where to go with its theological debate. Screens Friday, September 15 at 7:10 and 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, September 16 at 11 a.m. and 1:30 and 4 p.m.

-- Tom Meek

---

Film Festival Feature Films

| A Fight to the Finish: Stories of Polio | A Man is Mostly Water | A Trial in Prague | Blessed Art Thou | Charming Billy | Enemies of Laughter | Enlightenment Guaranteed | The Exorcist | Harry, He's Here to Help | Into the Arms of Strangers | Just Looking | Ratcatcher | Seven Girlfriends | Two Family House | The Yards | You Can Count On Me |

---