HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Howard Schumann Albert Camus said, "The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding." These words become prophetic in Romanian director Cristian Mungui's Beyond the Hills, a powerful tale of religious and emotional obsession that leads to tragic consequences. Like his award winning abortion drama, 4 Months, 3 weeks and 2 Days, the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes in 2007, it is deliberately paced and can be demanding to the viewer unaccustomed to long takes without cuts or camera movements. Set in a remote Orthodox Christian convent in rural Moldova known as New Hill Monastery, Beyond the Hills is a social drama based on two books labeled "nonfiction novels" by Romanian journalist Tatiana Niculescu Bran concerning an exorcism in 2005 that became sensationalized in the press.Filmed in -15 degree weather during the heaviest snow season in years, Oleg Mutu's cinematography makes us feel the bleakness and the cold, damp air inside a convent that has no electricity or running water. As the film begins, Alina (Cristina Flutur) has returned from Berlin to the town in which she grew up. She is met at the train station by Voichita (Cosmina Stratan), her best friend and partner since their years together in an orphanage. Voichita believes she has found her direction, however, in the convent where she is a novice and has become emotionally attached to the priest she calls "Papa" (Valeriu Andriuta) and the mother superior (Dana Tapalaga).Alina, a sometimes believer, has come to rescue her friend from what she feels is the church's domination and is unprepared for Voichita's unwillingness to leave with her and work together on a German cruise ship. She tells Alina that she has found a sense of family and has been changed by her experience. Though she lovingly invites her friend to give herself to the Lord, Alina feels betrayed. A tug of war develops between the church's fear of the "unbeliever", and their wish to provide sanctuary, knowing that Alina has nowhere else to go. Under threat by those around her, Voichita finds herself torn between her one and only friend and her devotion to God.Desperate for affection, Alina flirts with suicide and her growing paranoia makes her suspicious of everyone in Voichita's life. Soon, her repeated fits of hysteria land her in the local hospital, but the anti-psychotic drugs provide only a temporary solution. When the doctors tell the priest that there is nothing further they can do to help, Alina is returned to the convent but the situation does not improve. The distraught girl does leave on her own to go back to her last foster home, but gives up all her possessions and returns to the monastery, unable to stay away from Voichita.Ultimately, the priest is convinced that she is not just a sinner, but one possessed by the devil and must undergo an exorcism. Without her consent, Alina is tied to a cross with ropes and chains and her mouth gagged to prevent her screaming as the service is performed. Beyond the Hills is an intense and haunting film, and the performances of Flutur and Stratan, who shared the Best Actress award at Cannes, add depth and complexity to the film's moral universe. Under Mungui's direction, the film avoids pointing the finger. There are no good guys and bad guys and everyone involved thinks they are acting in Alina's best interests, but they are sadly myopic.Regardless of their good intentions, each character is so caught up in the narrow scope of their vision that they cannot see beyond their immediate self-interest. What becomes lost is the ability to look beyond rituals and forms to find the substance - love, charity, and compassion. According to Mungui, the film "speaks about guilt but is more concerned with love and choices, with the things people do in the name of their beliefs, the difficulty of telling good from bad, understanding religion literally, indifference as an even greater sin than intolerance and freedom of will." When these factors are present, tragedy cannot be far away.

georgep53 "Beyond the Hills" is a remarkable film that depicts a world straddling between the superstitious past and the secular present: the desire for peace, tranquility and certainty versus a yearning for freedom and personal fulfillment. The Orthodox convent we see beyond the hills is inhabited by a priest and nuns living spartan lives of work and prayer. As we would expect they are largely disapproving of changes going on in the outside world. When, Alina, a childhood friend of one of the nuns arrives for a visit with an electric candlelight they can't use because they have no electricity it is a precursor of problems Alina will have adjusting to religious life with its emphasis on rules and conformity. In time it becomes evident that Alina is a deeply troubled girl. At one point she is rushed to a local hospital where she encounters an indifferent medical bureaucracy that can offer little more than band aids for the tsunami of societal ills. A wonderful thing about this film is its refusal to stereotype characters. The doctor at the hospital is well-intentioned. He does what he can given the limited resources at his disposal. Likewise the priest in charge of the convent is no villainous cult leader. He tries to help in ways consistent with his belief that aberrant behavior is symptomatic of demonic forces. The performances are excellent. Cosmina Straton is outstanding as Voichita the nun who desperately wants to help her friend but is unable to give her the one thing she desires. Christina Flutur brings outward toughness and inner fragility to the role of Alina. Bringing great credibility to their roles of Priest and Mother Superior are Valeriu Andriuta and Dana Tapalaga.The modern world of "Beyond the Hills" is a hostile, unforgiving place. Religion may offer solace for some but it's hampered by its adherence to antiquated rituals and practices. The healers whose job it is to piece together the human wreckage confront an impossible task and usually descend into pointing fingers and passing the buck. Directed with great deliberateness and sensitivity by Cristian Mungiu.

violentwavesofemotion "Beyond The Hills" is without a doubt compelling. Stretching beyond subject matters themselves, the film explores beautifully the thin layers among human relationships, especially when these relationships work primarily under strict environmental patterns. I did find certain scenes to be unnecessary and slightly hoped for better dialog but the outcome was still beautiful. I think it is a film which holds full potential to make you undergo many sentimental transgressions; you will find yourself feeling uneasy due to the very realistic representation of the events, you will shiver during the intimate moments and you will, to say the least, gasp during the final act. The two protagonists are giving exquisite performances; they both have this tremendous quality of emotionally transfixing you right at heart through their very presence and small individual movements. Cinematography is breathtaking; certain scenes were pretty darkish but mostly natural light works wonders. Recommended, quite obviously.

cecilia cecilia "Dealuri Dupa", aka "Beyond the Hills" is a Romanian movie of 2012. The director, Cristian Mungiu, offers two perspectives in this film. The first, found in the relationship of the two girls, whose lives have taken very different paths, despite the unique connection, which was formed between them during the orphanage years. The differences are so big that they cause serious tensions and conflicts. This bipolar environment, brings us to the second approach, which we find in the Romanian environment, in the hospital, in the streets of the city, and so on. This is a bipolar and contradictory reality. For me, the most interesting subject is the battle between religion and science, good and evil, what is considered right and wrong.