{"id":26048,"date":"2017-08-09T18:23:06","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T22:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=26048"},"modified":"2017-08-09T18:23:30","modified_gmt":"2017-08-09T22:23:30","slug":"pilgrimage-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/09\/pilgrimage-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilgrimage (2017)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A group of monks is sent to escort a sacred relic across the land in 13th<\/sup> century Ireland.\u00a0 Along the way enemies and friends alike try to derail their mission.<\/p>\n

Written by Jamie Hannigan and directed by Brendan Muldowney, Pilgrimage is a period piece peppered with action sequences that make logical sense within the confines of its story.\u00a0 Here the monks are working with knights and others to battle enemies and bring the sacred relic their guard to a higher Catholic Church power.\u00a0 The story is simple at its based, but the characters added, including a mute stranger helping the monks, create a mystery and help the tension along with the twists that take their time to come and be revealed.\u00a0 This way of developing the story works well with the time period its set in and the group of characters involved.\u00a0 The characters created here have some background in terms of their archetypes, but not that much information on who they are as people and where they come from or what their goals are besides keeping the relic safe or obtaining the relic.<\/p>\n

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Playing those characters and given them much more life than their simple descriptions is a cast of talented actors.\u00a0 Giving a strong performance, a surprising one even, is Tom Holland (yes that Tom Halland) as Brother Diarmuid, the newer, younger monk who takes his task very seriously but who also shows more humanity in how he deals with facing the enemy and taking decisions that may or may not be good for his safety and that of others.\u00a0 He plays his part earnestly and gives it all he has, playing a character that much older, much more experienced actors would not have been able to handle this well.\u00a0 This is a strong performance that would have brought him to forefront if his current swing as Peter Parker was not making him uber-famous at the moment.\u00a0 Another superhero actor playing a part that is surprising but also kind of half expected for him is Jon Bernthal as The Mute, the man helping the monks in their day to day lives and also through their mission.\u00a0 He plays this mute character with great nuances and shows that subtly is key with characters that must remain mysterious for the film to work.\u00a0 His character later takes a turn that is a bit less surprising for the actor in terms of what he\u2019s done recently, but he keeps his mute man subtle when needed, giving a performance that doesn\u2019t actually need words to connect with the audience.\u00a0 These are but two example of a strong cast working well together as allies and enemies, showing strength and talent all around.<\/p>\n

The film works well because of its writing, directing, and acting, but also because of its attention to details.\u00a0 This shows through the work of cinematographer Tom Comerford who frames and shoots each scene as to give the film an epic scope.\u00a0 The scenes in the fog, in the rain, and in the forest are but examples of great cinematography by how beautiful they look, something that heightens their impact by making them visually beautiful.\u00a0 Even violent scenes are shot in a way to make them look beautiful and let the viewer see what needs to be seen and hide what needs to remain a mystery.\u00a0 Comerford\u2019s work fits the story and the locations, but also elevates the film by captivating the audience.<\/p>\n

Also adding to the atmosphere and acting is the music by Stephen McKeon which is subtle at times and much more impactful at others.\u00a0 He uses soft cues and strong ones like they are meant to be used, to support the story and characters and not to overshadow them as happens far too often with epic films.\u00a0 His approach lets the images take the lead and supports them as film scores should.\u00a0 Adding to this music is work by the Crux Vocal Ensemble, a choice that adds to the religious aspect of the film with choir singing in the proper places.\u00a0 Also, the sound design is fantastic, very detailed but not exaggerated, something many films of late have done, especially during battles and fights.\u00a0 This film avoids those pitfalls and lets the story shine without deafening it in unnecessary sounds.<\/p>\n

Pilgrimage is a Catholic story but it\u2019s also a story of brotherhood and convictions.\u00a0 Through strong performances and story, the film builds more than a simple mission across a land type of story, but one about the people involved and why they are involved.\u00a0 The way the story is developed and the use of many languages pulls the viewer in and the action keeps them involved.\u00a0 It\u2019s a beautiful film with mystery and suspense, supported by a strong cast and great attention to details.<\/p>\n