Religious and pagan worlds collide in "Anchoress," a beautiful-looking, but ultimately disappointing, feature about 14th-century England that eventually dissolves into religion-bashing.
Shot in stark black and white, "Anchoress" tells the fact-based story of Christine Carpenter, the Anchoress of Shere, who chose to be entombed in the walls of a parish church — thus being "anchored" to the church — rather than marry a steward, Shreve.
Once she's walled in, with only a small window looking into the church and another one to receive visits and confessions, 14-year-old Christine (Natalie Morse) actually begins to enjoy her confinement. Not only does her pagan mother Pauline (Toyah Willcox) bring her food and other gifts, she also catches up on village gossip when others come to her for advice.
Christine even believes she's receiving visions from the Virgin Mary, some of which she documents with an embroidery. But all good things must come to an end, and she begins to tire of the routine, especially after her younger sister marries Shreve (Eugene Bervoets) — which eliminates that threat.
Things finally come to a head when the know-it-all priest of the church (Christopher Eccleston) disputes Christine's vision, telling the girl that the Virgin Mother would never wear red. And during the Anchorite's hunger fast, he accuses her mother of consorting with the devil, which eventually leads to her death.
The film, despite its sometimes pretentious look and feel, actually holds its own for more than an hour. In particular, "Anchoress" is at its best when it takes a somewhat realistic view of medieval life. In fact, first-time director Chris Newby even relies on real sounds, rather than music, for his soundtrack.
Unfortunately, the final forty minutes or so concentrate on the struggles between the priest and Christine, seemingly to cast a bad light on organized religion. By contrast, the pagans, led by Pauline, are shown in a much more sympathetic, even loving, manner.
That the film doesn't topple under its self-righteous weight is a tribute to the actors, as well as the gorgeous photography by Michel Baudour, which at times appears to be still photography.
Morse, a virtual unknown who has appeared in British television, is equally wondrous. While even more experienced actresses would rely on bad posturing to convey her emotions, Morse relies on her extremely expressive eyes to do it instead.
And as her parents, Willcox and Postlethwaite are superb, especially Willcox, whose snarling demeanor is actually somewhat endearing. But as the men who try to control Christine, Bervoets and Eccleston are given one-dimensional characters to work with.
Blame for that should fall to writers Judith Stanley-Smith and Christine Watkins, who attempt to be realistic with the situations, but wind up relying on cliched dialogue to get by.
"Anchoress" is unrated, but would probably receive an R for vulgarity involving bodily functions, profanity, sex and brief nudity, as well as some nude drawings.