Film and Faith - Hildegard von Bingen

Had the opportunity to watch VISION with my wife and friends this weekend.  Review of the film here:

Hildegard von Bingen was truly a woman ahead of her time. A visionary in every sense of the word, this famed 12th-century Benedictine nun was a Christian mystic, composer, philosopher, playwright, poet, naturalist, scientist, physician, herbalist and ecological activist. New German Cinema auteur Margarethe von Trotta reunites with star Barbara Sukowa to bring the story von Bingen to life. Sukowa portrays von Bingen’s fierce determination to expand the responsibilities of women within the order, even as she fends off outrage from some in the Church over the visions she claims to receive from God. Lushly shot in the original medieval cloisters of the fairytale-like German countryside, Vision is a profoundly inspirational portrait of a woman who has emerged from the shadows of history as a forward-thinking and iconoclastic pioneer of faith, change and enlightenment. In German with English subtitles.

It was great to watch the movie with friends so that we could talk about the content of the film after it was over. 

In truth, I thought the film was too long (111 minutes) - and while some of the views/scenes were great - some transitions for sequencing between large blocks of time were awkward.

Most importantly, though, for myself and for those with me - we had opportunity to talk about how and where (in history) important persons of faith have shaped communities of faith.  We were able to talk about what it means to lead to and for communities of faith.

The movie created a great opportunity to share with others about challenges and opportunities for working to and for people of faith.