The film is in black and white symbolic of the fact color photography wasn't available in Medieval times. Christine Carpenter (Natalie Morse) is entranced and obsessed with the Virgin Mary. To the dismay of her pagan herbalist mother (Brenda Bertin) and Reeve (Gene Bervoets) who had designs on her, she opts to become an anchoress, being walled up in confinement. Christine quickly becomes a celebrity offering her divine advice through a window of hope.

The priest (Christopher Eccleston) while initially happy becomes irate over Christine's disobedience and visions contrary to teachings. Christine sees Mary's hair as being braided as wheat dressed in a red robe, like an apple. There is a clash between the pagan and Christian worlds.

The film is riddled with symbolism and it is an art film. It is not Ingmar Bergman good, but if you like that type of film without the subtitles, check this one out.

It was not my cup of tea.

This film must be watched with a quiet spirit and a willingness to let go of well-organized, linear plot development. Those familiar with The Book of Margery Kempe will appreciate the spiritual struggle Anchoress represents as well as the more "feminine" approach to plot. The cinematography is exquisite as well as the acting.

shot in B&W, but with a glaring brightness at times, "Anchoress" unravels a strange slice of life of a young woman who feels called to live in a cell of a church within sight of a statue of the Virgin. the Cult of Mary was strong in the medieval times (and i suppose it still continues today), and this and other bits of the medieval life bring some historical credibility to the screen.

but far from being a sort of documentary, there are surreal and mystical elements too, which i think should serve to appeal to a modern audience. this film has what i would consider an art-house feel, but it also bears a purity to the viewer, of a simple age where belief meant everything and proof is almost heretical.

whether a character has truly experienced a vision, or is a witch, or is holy,is never justly determined by the characters in their peasant lives, but is merely enforced by entrenched codes of social, religious, and other laws. to watch christine encounter each of these, to watch her life and her family be affected by the strangeness of the story and the rules of the age is captivating to behold.

i found this film to be beautiful, bizarre, with a wonderful cast, as faithful as possible to the historically-known experiences of folk in European middle ages (well, aside from the imaginative bits), comical, tragic, but entirely fascinating.