Paradise: Faith

Film Review by Philip Concannon | 01 Jul 2013
Film title: Paradise: Faith
Director: Ulrich Seidl
Starring: Maria Hofstätter, Nabil Saleh, Natalya Baranova, Rene Rupnik
Release date: 5 Jul
Certificate: 18

Situated in the middle of Ulrich Seidl’s trilogy, it's hard to avoid the feeling that Paradise: Faith is the weakest film of the three, but it still has the kind of powerful and singular moments that few directors are capable of producing. Its greatest asset is Maria Hofstätter, whose performance as the deeply devout Anna Maria possesses an astonishing (and sometimes terrifying) conviction.

The film is essentially a two-hander, as Anna Maria repeatedly locks horns with her estranged, wheelchair-bound Muslim husband Nabil (Nabil Saleh), and while both performers are mesmerising, the lack of context or history given for their relationship makes all of it feel disappointingly schematic. Seidl keeps throwing contrivances at the characters and then sits back to watch the sparks fly, and the relentless nature of their antagonistic relationship starts to feel deadening after a while. Nevertheless, Paradise: Faith boasts typically stunning cinematography from Ed Lachman and Wolfgang Thaler, and it has a secret weapon in Rene Rupnik, whose cameo offers an oasis of hilarity in an otherwise disturbing film. [Philip Concannon]