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Diary of a Country Priest


Diary of a Country Priest (Le Journal d'un Cure de Campagne) by Robert Bresson

A young priest comes to minister to a small French village parish. His health is already very fragile, and the circumstances he lives in don't make it look like he's going to improve. He's convinced his diet - wine soaked stale bread - will make him feel better, but instead he continues to suffer.
Along with a physical suffering, his mental state is unbalanced and his spiritual faith is going through a terrible crisis. Thus we meet this poor man and follow his daily life through witnessing him writing his diaries, although we never learn how or why his troubles began.

The priest's parishioners are an aloof bunch who coldly ignore him with some taking delight in tormenting him. His sole worshipper at daily mass is the governess at the local Count's household. When the young priest becomes entangled in the Count's family affairs he enflames a situation that leads to a death, and he ends up being misunderstood even more.



I read a post saying this film was Tarkovsky's favourite film, then I realised we're staying soon very near the place where the original novel was written, so decided to see it for the first time. I don't think I've ever seen a film that's so melancholic, really very sad and depressing.

There's a long French tradition of the poverty striken country priest in his mildewed, patched vestments which match the austerity of his surroundings - French people would recognise him immediately. You don't expect there to be a happy ending and indeed there isn't but there is one beautifully shot scene where your heart goes out to this man who is riven by sorrow but at the end of the day is still young enough to enjoy a tiny simple pleasure.



This is a slow, ultimately dispiriting film which is very well told but maybe too gloomy for most. The torments of the soul that the young man is going through may be best understood by old school Catholics. He may try to help the Count's wife understand God's love, but the opressive untold secrets of the confessional weigh to heavy for him to bear alone.

4/5 but don't watch it if you're feeling down!