Jerusalem . Tucson Weekly . 06-05-97

Jerusalem

DIRECTED BY: Bille August

REVIEWED: 06-05-97

During the 1800s, a radical sect of Swedish Christians decided to move to Jerusalem to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ. Okay, so it doesn't sound like a rip-roaring good time at the movies, but it was much better than I expected, even with a three-hour running time and freezing Loft air-conditioning. Director Bille August (Smilla's Sense of Snow) dramatizes this historical footnote in the usual way: With sober pacing, he chronologically details the lives of a handful of agrarian Swedes. But the story and setting are not usual, and once you settle into the movie's languorous rhythm, a sadly meditative sensation takes hold. Cleanly divided between Sweden and Jerusalem, the film provides a haunting glimpse into the love lives, moral struggles, cultural customs and religious fervor (in that order) of a group of people about whom I'd otherwise never have thought twice. The impeccably subtle actors, who are mostly internationally unknown save for Olympia Dukakis and the great Max Von Sydow, constantly reveal hints of repression and suffering, so when they finally crack you can feel it. (The movie definitely has emotional after effects.) August layers it all with only the faintest--and therefore effective--touches of magical realism, perhaps reacting to a lesson he learned from his laughable House of Spirits.

--Zachary Woodruff

Capsule Reviews
Jerusalem

Other Films by Bille August
Les Miserables
Smilla's Sense of Snow

Film Vault Suggested Links
My Mother's Courage
Les Milles
For Ever Mozart

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