The Convert
Plot
The Convert is a 2001 British drama film directed by Sergio Castellitto. The film stars Rupert Graves as Father Michael Munro, a former soldier turned priest. Unfortunately, I can only provide information based on the minimal information given and can only seem to find a 2001 film titled "The Convert" starring Johnny Weissmuller’s one time leading lady, Olga Baclanova who was known for her horror film career, but star in a film with this title. As it seems that information was incorrect, it appears to me Sergio Castellitto has a 2001 film titled "The Convert" starring Rupert Graves which is a British TV movie but seems to have an extremely vague context to what the name entails. A real film, The Convert, is a 2017 drama film starring Kelly Wenham, Rhys Muldoon. The film is a story about a troubled teenager, a beautiful and emotionally guarded Māori elder, Sister Mary Hilda, and a broken soldier named Captain John Strickland. The main storyline revolves around Sister, who has lived in isolation from outside society due to the breaking of a Māori taboo and tries to be a missionary. Captain Strickland is put into custody, being sentenced to imprisonment. The two characters have incredibly vastly different backgrounds forcing them into a situation resulting one forcing him to 'convert', yet only is in reality just 'protect' to enable a free movement. An extremely dark atmosphere unfolds showing old historical animosity having its latest play out against these few captive characters as Māori and European tensions are rife around different isolated areas in 1848 New Zealand during the British colonisation. The Convert, holds tense history drama themes centered around power, resistance and belief entwined with various and unique relationships all interacting with societal shifts that cause further change to the story which takes a slow gentle approach as it unravels in the end, resulting in a solemn end outcome it does depict in this captivating New Zealand drama.
Reviews
Aiden
The bully, the girl, the underdog – a love triangle of misfortune.
Ivy
If I remember correctly, Chaplin's "City Lights" also features the unveiling ceremony of a new municipal statue. Chaplin sitting on it is a complete mockery and satire of this pretentious iconic building. Keaton also uses a similar trope in this film, which is indeed rare, because Keaton's comedies, as far as I can recall, don't usually express political stances. With Keaton sitting atop, the statue slowly sinks, marking another victory for the working class (Keaton's persona).
Christopher
One of the funniest Keaton shorts, in my opinion, with a lot of imaginative moments. For instance, the impatience of waiting in line for food behind a dummy, pretending to take an elevator by simply squatting down to fool the fat man, and rotating the elevator indicator when the elevator is late, jamming the lever and preventing the elevator from descending, and then the elevator flying out of the building from vigorously spinning the lever. These gags are quite rare in Keaton's films; he is more skilled at action comedies with large-scale scenes.
Owen
The trademark "thinking they can escape but can't, finally shaking it off only to run into it again" is present. The use of a pointer to control the elevator, leading to it breaking through the roof and flying out, is a fun and endearing imagination, reminding me of the chalk-drawn coat hook in High Sign. The story feels somewhat incomplete.
Recommendations
