In Arsenie: An Amazing Afterlife, director Alexandru Solomon sets out on a pilgrimage with a group of believers to understand Romanian society’s obsession with the deceased monk Arsenie Boca.
In 2018, Solomon became increasingly frustrated by the church’s prevalence in public life in Romania. The face of its influence was a deceased monk by the name of Arsenie Boca, hailed for working miracles and whose life and image had recently taken the public by storm. His face was everywhere, on posters and magnets and other trinkets that sold like crazy. Pilgrimages to his grave to pray for miracles became popular, and there was an increasingly loud call to canonize him.
Solomon sought to understand the people who idolize Boca and how it was that this monk became so widely beloved, and it is here at the beginning of his quest to find answers that the documentary begins. Solomon decides to organize his own staged Boca pilgrimage and hires a group of actors, who are also genuine believers, to join him.
The group members have all been on pilgrimage before, and as they travel with Solomon and the camera crew to important Boca sites, their work is threefold: they reenact scenes from Boca’s life, hold group discussions about Boca while reflecting on the current times, and they give individual interviews about their personal connections to Boca.
In bits and pieces, we learn about Arsenie Boca’s life including his entry into the monastery and later his expulsion, the miracles ascribed to him, his persecution by the communist regime, and his death. It’s somewhat difficult to get the full picture of Boca’s life and significance, however, as there are many references in the passages read aloud and in group discussions to specific aspects of Romanian history. The film doesn’t provide international viewers the context necessary to wholly comprehend, leaving us sometimes unable to engage more deeply.
That said, the group discussions are very interesting for their diversity in perspectives from one believer to another. The group consists of a mix of younger and older adults, most of whom seem to adore Arsenie Boca as an important religious figure who deserves canonization, however the similarities end there. For example, the group has very different opinions about whether or not the church should be using the media so much to promote Boca. They also disagree about Boca’s intentions in some instances, for example whether he used his influence to attract women, and to what end. One young believer sees Boca as an intentional self-marketer, a kind of “proto-influencer,” whereas another woman believes he is “from another dimension” and the embodiment of spirit.
These conversations also lead into discussions about the state of current affairs in Romania and beyond. The group talks about what it means to be Romanian, their treatment of migrants, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of Romania’s history on current times. Solomon also takes part in these conversations, providing his own perspective as a Jewish man who years ago also believed in these miracles but who now seeks to confront myths versus facts.
As a viewer, it is fascinating to observe these discussions particularly because it reminds us that one shared belief can and does actually present itself in many different forms, and also exists in correlation to a multitude of other beliefs, opinions and experiences within a person, thereby differentiating each of us as individuals.
The film crew sets up portable curtains to create a backdrop for the private interview segments, where individuals from the group share their own stories about how they connected with Arsenie Boca. These segments are nicely framed to include the rest of the group performing a tableaux in the background. From these interviews we learn that each of the believers encountered a life-changing moment they attribute to Boca.
The film offers some thought-provoking material, particularly in the form of the group discussions and solo interviews, however it lacks some context and further opportunities for insight that would have added depth. For example, it would have been interesting to hear from the younger group members in the solo interview segments because they belong to a generation increasingly turning away from religion in many parts of the world.
Arsenie: An Amazing Afterlife has its international premiere at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival as part of the Proxima Competition.
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