The Monk

“Le moine” [The Monk] is a 17th Century gothic melodrama with disturbing religious overtones. Magnificent, Victor Cassel is Brother Ambrosio who as an infant was left at the monastery’s door. He matured to overly pious super-star of the order drawing great crowds to hear his brilliant sermons. His piety does get the better of him when three women enter his life simultaneously. He quickly descends into madness finally selling his soul to Satan [Sergi Lopez in a delightful cameo]. Breathtaking cinematography, set design and locations lend to the hopelessness of Ambrosio’s journey. It is marvelously eerie and will chill with the best of psychological horror stories but it depends far too much on heavy spiritual trappings to get me to give it a full “thumbs up.”