The Apparition

Vincent Lindon stars in The Apparition as a reporter investigating a young woman who claims the Virgin Mary has appeared before her

Film Review by Iana Murray | 31 Jul 2018
Film title: The Apparition
Director: Xavier Giannoli
Starring: Vincent Lindon, Galatéa Bellugi, Patrick d’Assumçao
Release date: 3 Aug
Certificate: 12A

Xavier Giannoli’s latest follows a war correspondent, Jacques (Lindon), who is enlisted by the Vatican to investigate a young girl named Anna (a transfixing Galatéa Bellugi) who claims to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary. The non-religious Jacques is confronted with a crisis of faith. Is Anna telling the truth? If so, is God real?

Meanwhile, Anna becomes a deity of her own. Devout pilgrims are travelling from around the world to see her and are bowing at her feet. The film is at its most thoughtful when it explores the intersection of modern religion and capitalism, as the church increasingly exploits Anna for profit. The camera lingers on uncomfortably artificial headshots of Anna emulating Mary – the effect is jarring and provocative.

Unfortunately, much of the runtime is occupied by a standard investigation whose ambiguity is as appropriate as it is frustrating, and its ill-timed release means that The Apparition arrives in cinemas too soon after First Reformed, a film which grapples with many of the same ideas in a more compelling manner.


Released by MUBI