The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun (2006)

Director:

Pernille Rose Grønkjær

Release Date:

27 August 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

The story about the 82-year-old bachelor Mr. Vig, who has never known love, and Sister Amvrosija, a young Russian nun, who by chance, or destiny, becomes part of his life.

Plot Keywords:

Nun | Non Catholic Nun

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Sister Ambrosija	...	Herself
Mr. Vig	...	Himself

Directed by
Pernille Rose Grønkjær

Produced by
Sigrid Dyekjær	....	producer
Michael Fleischer	....	executive producer
Ane Mandrup	....	line producer

Original Music by
Johan Söderqvist

Cinematography by
Pernille Rose Grønkjær

Film Editing by
Pernille Bech Christensen

Sound Department
Kristian Eidnes Andersen	....	sound designer
Kristian Eidnes Andersen	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Jan Degn	....	color grader

Camera and Electrical Department
Frej Schemedes	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Anders Albjerg Kristiansen	....	assistant editor
Theis Schmidt	....	additional editor
Rikke Selin	....	television editor

Music Department
Hans Ek	....	conductor
Uno Helmersson	....	assistant composer
Kungliga Hovkapellet	....	orchestra
Mattias Thorell	....	musician: guitar

Other crew
Jens Arentzen	....	dramaturgical consultant
Per K. Kirkegaard	....	creative consultant
Karina Skovgaard Olsen	....	office production assistant
Jacques Pedersen	....	additional sound designer
Vladimir Pintchevski	....	voice-over
Rasmus Videbæk	....	colorgrade consultant

Production Companies

• DR TV International Sales
• Det Danske Filminstitut
• Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond
• Tju Bang

Distributors

• Cinema Delicatessen (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Koch Lorber Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Against Gravity (2007) (Poland) (all media)
• First Hand Films (2006) (worldwide) (all media)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish | English | Russian

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Company:

DR TV International Sales

A human interest story

Jørgen Laursen Vig decided towards the end of his life that the somewhat dilapidated castle he'd owned for forty years in the Danish countryside could be best put to use as a Russian Orthodox monastery. He contacted the Patriarchate in Moscow, who sent a delegation to investigate. The Monastery documents the arrival of the delegation (of two nuns, a novice and the van driver) and subsequent discussions and negotiations between various parties.

At one stage, the negotiations appear to be at a stalemate as the delegation returns to Moscow, and no word is heard for many months. Mr. Vig appears to be at least partly motivated by self-interest (he wants pilgrims to stay and maintain the building), and his demands are sometimes met with amusement by the Russians.

The most captivating aspect of the film is Vig himself and his many idiosyncrasies. Not only does he look like someone from another century, but he is stuck in his ways and he admits it. He doesn't like the nuns and mentions he doesn't get on well with people. He has only been fond of one person in his life and he's long dead – his father. Vig didn't relate particularly well with his mother, which he attributes to her nose. Vig has a thing about noses. And ears, too! The Monastery is not an insightful documentary, but rather what you might call a human interest film and is entertaining. I saw it at the Melbourne International Film Festival.