Darshan - L'étreinte (2005)

Director:

Jan Kounen

Writers:

Manuel De La Roche (writer)
Jan Kounen (writer)

Release Date:

30 November 2005 (France)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Malayalam-speaking Mata Amritanandamayi was born near Kochi, Kerala, India and is one of the most well-known saintly persons of this millennium...

Cast

Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

...

Herself

Also Known As:

Darshan: The Embrace (USA)

Runtime:

106 min | Germany:96 min | USA:92 min

Country:

France | Germany | Japan

Language:

English | French | Malayalam

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Germany:o.Al. | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

Les Productions de la Roche

The bigger our screens get the smaller our hearts get.

I loved watching this film; it gives you the sense that even among the poorest most squalid conditions we can find love. My heart soared watching love beam from Amma's face as she embraced thousands. The Christians say that heaven will be an eternity basking in God's love and I dismissed that idea until I saw this holy woman. I loved the scene where a man is on top of an elephant submerged in a river and he gently prods the roaring beast to the shore. "We have to fight our devils, greed arrogance and selfishness." This film transcends the description "movie." It's more of a "concentrated prayer." Prayer doesn't have a plot, but it peels away the resistance of the mind to the divine, like this film does. I saw the critics call it fawning, unenlightening, one sided, but prayer IS one sided, the side is love. If you're praying you don't think of negative things, you just bask.