The Apparition

Dir Xavier Giannoli, France 2018 On UK release from 3 August

French director Xavier Giannoli has long been unsure of his stance regarding faith and religion on a personal level, something that has influenced his work since

In the Beginning, and his latest effort is no exception. In The

Apparition, Vincent Lindon plays PTSD-ridden war journalist Jacques, who is asked to join an investigation into the veracity of claims of a divine apparition in a small French village, where a young woman named Anna claims to have seen theVirgin Mary. As we follow Jacques’s progress, we also follow the way he becomes acquainted with the nature of Canonical investigations in and of themselves. This cleverly allows the film to avoid the cardinal cinematic sin of exposition dumping; thus, just as the seasoned journalist Jacques is a novice in terms of Canonical procedure, any viewer unfamiliar with this sort of investigation learns about it as Jacques does, making the pacing of the film deeply intertwined with Jacques’s character arc in particular.

It should also be made clear that The Apparition is not a bloodcurdling horror film in the vein of The Exorcist, nor is it silly or sensationalist like The Da Vinci

Code. Instead, it is a thoughtful and realistic film that takes its time to tell its story, just as Jacques takes his time to fully investigate Anna’s case. Being a pensive and ethereal piece, the film builds a world that is realistic, uncertain and devoid of the sensationalism one would usually find in a film dealing with matters of religious faith. The visuals further establish the mood, featuring soft colour tones and calm settings, further elevated by the inimitable music of Arvö Part. As the plot slowly and ambiguously – but surely

– unfolds, the question of the validity of Anna’s claims, as well as her secretive behaviour, ensures a lingering sense of mystery. Startling, yet sombre revelations emerge along the way, and other players enter and exit the picture, just as they would in an actual investigation, but the film never loses sight of Jacques and Anna’s stories as its focal point. For some, the pacing of the film may be a hindrance; however, for those who are happy to sit for two and a half hours and let a minimalist, yet powerful, story unfold before them,

The Apparition will be the answer to their prayers.