Agora is an epic. It’s The Imitation Game meets Gladiator – there’s celebration of an unknown heroine with plenty of Roman drama to keep you stuck in your seats. There is religion, violence, and philosophy. Plus for all you subtitle haters this ones for you, it’s all in English with great performances from Rachel Weisz and Oscar Isaac (before he was famous) to go with it!
Why Watch Agora?
- Do you hate slavery, sexism, racism and/or violence? Then watch this film!
- Wondering where all the female leads are in Ancient epics? Well there’s one here!
- To time travel back to Roman controlled Egypt!
- For a romantic flute solo.
Agora opens with the Earth and the stars. From the stars, we descend to earth to enter one of Hypatia’s lectures in 4th century Egypt. She is conducting a lecture on the centre solar system. One wily student suggests that the Earth is not the centre of the universe, to which one of the Christians takes offence, for how can the Earth, the kingdom of God, not be at the centre.
Whilst you might not find this description truly gripping, I promise these opening set the scene for some BIG confrontations!!
Without spoiling too much, Director Alejandro Amenabar exploit mass movement to emphasise the battle scenes. The large casts during the battle scenes show power in ways that 20 people could not. When this massive cast starts moving, there is even more dramatic effect. Seen from above (aerial shots), we see masses of people running from one end of the screen to the other. The mass movement of these large casts emphasises the violence and mercilessness of the perpetrators in a way that a smaller cast could not replicate.
The aerial shots also play another part in the film. A few times the aerial shots of the streets in Egypt zoom out to the country, and then zoom further away showing the earth among the stars. This sequence is also shown in reverse, zooming into Egypt from the Earth and stars, before zooming in to see the streets of Alexandria. As well as being visually impressive, these sequences point out the insignificance of the battles of humanity relative to the universe. All throughout, the Earth remains unchanged as do the stars surrounding us. This supports the directors bias for our astrologer/philosopher Hypatia whose life is dedicated towards our understanding of the universe. (or maybe I’m just seeing it through my own tinted glasses).
Anyway, I strongly recommend this film for those with any interest in the rise of religion or the Roman Empire in Egypt. You should also watch this film to see a woman celebrated for her academic research. Over 1,500 years later, we still haven’t reached true equality.
“You don’t question what you believe… I must”
Omar reminded me of a Shakesperian-esque epic. He fights for love and carries the patriotism of Palestine, but for what? Think of a Mexican drug-war thriller like Heli, Miss Bala, or even a film like Zero Dark Thirty shot from the other side and you will be getting close to the kind of film that Omar is. There’s no drugs in Omar, but there is one man fighting for normality whilst dealing with the expectation that he must fight for his people.
You may have seen films from China and Europe, and even the Middle East, but have you seen a film from Kazakhstan? Here’s your chance to see something new. This is an excellent portrayal of Kazakhstan in the mid-90s. A country experiencing an economic and emotional depression after the split of the Soviet Union. Find out what life was like growing up in a remote town in Kazakhstan.
Film Difficulty Ranking: 1
You may have seen the great Netflix show Narcos and believe that you know everything about violence in Colombia. However, to truly experience violence in Colombia, you should watch the aptly named Violence. The film will take you to three parts of Colombia where violence exists. It will introduce you to it’s perpetrators and victims without revealing who they are or to which armed group they belong. Ultimately everyone is part of the violence in Colombia.