W IMIE… (IN THE NAME OF)

W imie…(IN THE NAME OF). Directed by Małgorzata Szumowska. Poland. 2012. 102 min. Polish with English subtitles

Adam is a Catholic priest who discovered his calling as a servant of God at the relatively late age of 21. He now lives in a village in rural Poland where he works with teenagers with behavioural problems who fight and yell abuse. He declines the advances of a young blonde named Ewa, saying he is already spoken for. However, celibacy is not the only reason for his rejection. Adam knows that he desires men and that his embrace of the priesthood has been a flight from his own sexuality. When he meets Łukasz, the strange and taciturn son of a simple rural family, Adam’s self-imposed abstinence becomes a heavy burden. Małgośka Szumowska’s visually powerful film, charged with striking imagery from Christ’s Passion, dares to broach the still taboo topic of homosexuality in the priesthood. Confronted with his ‘forbidden’ desires, her protagonist experiences both moments of bliss and utter despair. A film about confused emotions, repression and loneliness – and the possibility of perhaps finding oneself after all.

WINNER OF THE 2013 TEDDY AWARD AT THE BERLINALE.

Thursday, May 9th, 8:00 PM

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

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