The Apparition

Although the title might suggest a horror movie, writer-director Xavier Giannoli’s The Apparition is a thoughtful, provocative tale about the investigation of a purported miracle—a vision of Mary outside a small town in southern France—by a team of experts sent by the Vatican. They are led by Jacques (Vincent Lindon), an agnostic reporter who has returned traumatized from a Middle Eastern war zone. Jacques is fascinated by the supposed visionary, an 18-year-old novice named Anna (Galatéa Bellugi), who has become the center of attention for throngs of pilgrims believing that she has witnessed a true apparition. Protected by her fellow nuns and the local priest, Anna appears before the believers to offer messages of peace and love, which an aggressive clerical promoter wants to use to create Internet demand for associated merchandise. In researching Anna’s past, Jacques uncovers discrepancies that raise serious questions about whether she is telling the truth, questions that lead him back to the Middle East. Clocking in at well over two hours, The Apparition moves with almost glacial slowness and studiously avoids melodramatic excess, opting instead for a gently probing approach that keeps the viewer as much in the dark as Jacques. An ambitious film in which Giannoli entertains the possibility that the sacred sometimes intervenes in human affairs, this is recommended. [Note: DVD extras include an interview with director Xavier Giannoli (10 min.), costar Galatéa Bellugi’s audition tape (10 min.), and a segment on the Zaatari refugee camp (2 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for an atmospheric drama.] (F. Swietek)