This beautiful movie is a wonder to watch...After a near-death experience, Ellen Burstyn discovers she has healing powers and proceeds to do good work in a quiet, unassuming way...which, nevertheless, gets her into trouble.
It is odd that I would like this film so well since 1) I am an atheist with zero belief in an afterlife; and 2) had my own near-death experience where I saw nothing...no light, no tunnel...just nothing. Still, this film taps into my spiritual side...whatever that is...perhaps the acceptance that things go bump in the night for no good reason.
My pleasure in watching this film is enhanced by it's firm insistence that the gift of healing is not rooted in any one religion or even in religion itself. In these troubled times where religion often does more harm than good, the message of this film is both rewarding and healthy. Couple this with fine performances and slow, but well-paced direction, and you have an unusual movie which can movie even the most jaded of viewers (me!)
It is odd that I would like this film so well since 1) I am an atheist with zero belief in an afterlife; and 2) had my own near-death experience where I saw nothing...no light, no tunnel...just nothing. Still, this film taps into my spiritual side...whatever that is...perhaps the acceptance that things go bump in the night for no good reason.
My pleasure in watching this film is enhanced by it's firm insistence that the gift of healing is not rooted in any one religion or even in religion itself. In these troubled times where religion often does more harm than good, the message of this film is both rewarding and healthy. Couple this with fine performances and slow, but well-paced direction, and you have an unusual movie which can movie even the most jaded of viewers (me!)