The Unknown Saint (2019) User Reviews

Prepare to be bored, entertained and possibly moved

[Bobalopacus · 7/10 · 14 October 2022]

There were certainly moments of boredom whilst watching this, but gradually the characters began to take on a life of their own, the subtle humour began to shine.

Writing this, a day after watching it, I am thinking fondly of so many of them - the mausoleum guard and his touching dedication to his dog; the barber and his different shaving creams for different customers; the nurse and doctor quietly sipping home-brewed alcohol to get them through the day; the two thieves exchanging glances that wouldn't be amiss in a Laurel and Hardy skit.

By the end, despite the slow-pace and lack of action I wanted to carry on watching these people.

There are some wonderful moments of deadpan humour and there is an underlying spirituality to the whole piece without it being at all pretentious or pandering.

Like the characters waiting for rain after a ten-year drought - your patience will be rewarded if you give this movie a chance to envelop you.

Average watch

[subha-viswanathan · 5/10 · 5 March 2020]

With a premise as interesting as this, it could have been a better movie. Its tad difficult to believe many elements in the movie and it doesn't feel realistic. The springing of an entire village where there's no water and much "business". People getting gold teeth made in such a place! Homes with gold embroidered cushions and water (in such a desert). The characters do not evoke empathy or much humour though there is certainly scope. Good in parts but doesn't come together as a harmonious film. Watched it at a Film fest and din't live up to the hype it created.

Absurdity & Farce

[cdownes-56407 · 7/10 · 26 May 2022]

What can I say. Absurdity piled on top of farce. Shades of The Life of Brian, and The Field, slap stick from D'Unbeliveables, bizarre. Loved it.

One character was as eccentric as the next. The old women wasting the doctors time, the doctor, the doctors assistant micro dosing to stop himself going mad through boredom, the men who only attended the doctors clinic after he inserted false teeth for the dog, all great. The bald men who were regulars in the barbers, reminds me of an uncle's barber shop here in town in my childhood.

For all the absurdity and farce it was beautifully shot with some really good scenes particularly indoors.

Having watched some Iranian cinema a while back and now Moroccan "The West" could learn a thing or two from these directors. This is a little gem that had me reflecting on and smiling about it for a day or so after watching.

I admit it's a bit slow...but it's also amazingly original and worth seeing.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 3 November 2019]

I saw "The Unknown Saint" at the Philadelphia Film Festival and it was one of the bigger surprises for me. I had pretty low expectations for the story but ended up really liking it....though I also am sure it's not for all tastes...mostly because the story is a bit slow. I see it as being deliberately paced....and hopefully you'll feel the same.

The story begins with a crook burying his loot in the Moroccan desert. He's soon caught and sent to prison. Sometime later, he's released...and immediately returns to the desert to retrieve the money. However, he has a serious problem....a shrine to the 'unknown saint' has been built atop the ground where he buried the money!! And, the place is guarded day and night! So how will this dumb crook and his even dumber accomplice get the money? Or, will they?

What made this so enjoyable were all the little supporting characters throughout the story. You cannot help but care about many of them and their lives....and this is a real tribute to the script and deft direction. Well worth seeing and also humorous in a very offbeat way!

A good idea lost in execution

[rrvidwans · 4/10 · 11 September 2021]

What could have been a comedy cum thriller is actually reduced to a slow, painful, mini comic storey. It has so many common sense holes in storey that after each mini episode within it one wonders how this was allowed to happen or how it can happen? But the seens with barber shop and ladies coming to doctor with flimsy ailments is more entertaining. But main part of shrine and recovering loot and unexpected ending are very boring. What could have been a great comic thriller is a painful, slow process.

The Unknown Saint: An Absurd Heist Filled with Deadpan Comedy and Message about Beliefs

[acinemalens · 8/10 · 19 July 2020]

Trying to explore and widen my boundaries in films, I decided to attend the 9th Arab Film Festival in Busan. The truth on how I stumbled to The Unknown Saint was I just randomly picked a film with an interesting premise and a suitable time. As I went in with little to no information, The Unknown Saint manages to surprise me not just being an entertaining feature but also a film that filled with a deep message about belief and how does it affect the surroundings.

As the film starts, the audience is introduced to a vast desert with appealing cinematography despite its monochrome setting. Then, we set our eyes to a young nameless man nicknamed "The Thief" (Younes Bouab) who panicked due to his car being broke and set on foot with a bag of money. My mind suddenly recalled how similar the film to Coen Brother's No Country for Old Man" and the lesser-known Indonesian film Mouly Surya's "Marlina The Murderer in Four Acts" in term of its visual style. However, as The Thief buries the bag of money in the hill, I realized this would be an absurd film with the reason for digging it similar to a grave. Yet, it will be a ride since first-time director Alaa Eddine Aljem introduces its conflict in a quick and effective way, something most films lack these days with its long set-ups.

Years later, The Thief was released from prison to retrieve the bag only to discover a shrine to an Unknown Saint was built upon his loot with a new village surrounds it. Simply could be a heist thriller, Aljeem approached it as Anderson's deadpan comedy added with a black and satirical but careful approach. Seriously, it's actually a no laughing matter when "The Thief" disturbs a man who's praying so he could receive a service. But I just burst out of laughter as the moment is perfectly captured for a black comedy.

Slowly, the film introduces more supporting characters that reside in the village such as a pair of son and father that work as a farmer, the shrine guard, and his dog, a new doctor who comes to fill the position of the village medic, and many more. This all seems unnecessary to the central plot. But from the role of barber on making gold teeth to the doctor change of job being a central place of hangout instead of taking care of the patients, it does give lots of giggles and chuckles to the audience of the village absurd situation and behavior. As the film progresses, the supporting characters do not only connect the film main plot but serves as a portrayal of how the shrine affects their life.

The shrine itself symbolized as a false god and with the shrine exists, there are some that are being advantaged and disadvantaged with it. The shrine guard is being advantaged with it. Having no personal connection to religion, he instead uses the shrine to take the role of a guard in order to receive popularity from the village and make money from it. Meanwhile, the farmer's family with a deep connection to religion, have a feeling that the shrine being a curse from God as the villagers worship a false god and start to lose belief in their religion. These small examples do show how religion itself could make a cheeky advantage to someone but could shake someone's belief to lost their own faith. However, these messages are very subtly hidden that makes mainstream audience should enjoy the absurdity that the film present without diving too deep.

It's not without its flaws too, where the film became too repetitive that make the slow pace became unbearable. It just becomes overlong with more problems that don't give the "kick" to the audience to be engaged. It also loses its absurdity as the film gets closer to the end and became more grounded in reality. I understand why Aljem did this, but the momentum just vanished slowly without its ridiculousness. The deadpan still exists though through the actors' performance on giving a plain expression in each comedy that's simply fun to look at.

The Unknown Saint, being a debut by the director by Alaa Eddine Aljem, is a charming comedy that filled with a deep message about beliefs that mainstream audience could enjoy as it never takes itself too deeply. It's a very recommended piece of work if you like Wes Anderson films or simply liking a heist caper added with absurd flavor. Looking forward to more of his films in the future.

Gives foreign films a bad name.

[a_little_about_law · 1/10 · 14 November 2021]

SPOILERS: This depressing, boring, sad movie has virtually no redeeming qualities. The quality of the acting may be its only bright spot. The writer could have done so much more with what was supposed to be a comedy based on a plot involving buried stolen loot now hidden by a shrine built on top of its location. My girlfriend and I decided to walk out shortly after the dog was injured.

Beautifully crafted

[toboer · 8/10 · 24 September 2021]

A whimsical film with a collection of quirky characters, executed with restraint. Visually beautiful with a sparse cinematography style and pastel coloured palette. A rewarding film for people who don't need loud and fast-paced action all the time.

Keeping faith vs revenge the world

[gurkpeter · 8/10 · 19 October 2019]

This film is not fitting at all into most of today's movie styles. The story is quite simple and this simplicity renders the film into a powerful piece of art. The story is told in a dry manner - dry like the desert people try to survive. There is nothing to live on, except their faith. Three main characters present how faith can empower people: faith in material resurrection (thief getting "his" hidden money), faith in keeping the traditions (the guard) and faith in getting back to old state of the world (father hoping for rain in the desert). There are many elements in the film that makes it very much worth watching, indeed not just once. There are no spectacular elements in the whole movie, just the accurate but still compassionate depiction of what motivates three people in a hopeless village in the desert. The creator humbly presents the reality most human beings have to face, far away from the busy centres of economic and cultural life. Watch it and make the effort to internalise the message.

Hilarious!

[pasaribuharisfadli · 8/10 · 24 January 2022]

A modern fable about how God works in a mysterious ways, this film is too funny. In a subdued deadpan comedy manner, of course. Aki Kaurismäki and Wes Anderson would be proud.

Something very different !

[lucienm-60321 · 8/10 · 24 July 2021]

Very enjoyable storyline and dialogues Great location (Morrocco desert) Excellent casting Sense of humour is so refreshingly different !

Humans and their superstitions

[shimonmor · 10/10 · 6 November 2022]

An expertly crafted film on every level. Alaa Eddine Aljem has not only written a surreptitious commentary on superstitions but has directed a nearly perfect example of efficient, well-paced film making.

Unlike so many directors (even big name directors), Aljem was not absent the day filming principle "show, don't tell" was taught. There is hardly an ounce of exposition in this film which is so refreshing. Dialogue is sparse, flabby scenes non-existent, extraneous shots cut. Aljem trusts the viewers to interpolate action and context without hand-holding which dramatically improves the viewing experience; no excess fat on this film. And no melodramatic score, no CGI, no fast-paced-witty-banter, no gravity-defying-action-scenes, no overstuffed crap that chokes the art and joy out of so many contemporary films. Just pure story telling executed perfectly.

In addition, the photography deserves accolades. Even though shot in a mostly tan, desolate, near moon-like setting, the images captured are beguiling beautiful. Everything from the compositions to the blocking to the lighting and smart use of colorful buildings and clothing adds to the visual feast.

The characters are a motley bunch including a thief, a criminal (there is a difference), a surly, bored nurse, a newly arrived doctor, a dirt farmer and his discontented son, a shrine night watchman and his loyal German Shepherd, a crafty barber and a slew of others. They each play a minor supporting the thief's main thread of attempting to recover buried stolen money that has been covered by a shrine which people visit for spiritual relief and healing. The story is filled with understated and sly humor which adds an extra dimension and kept me smiling throughout the film.

We are introduced to not only the various characters' superstitions but also to the skepticism of others. The interplay between the two groups is the crux of this film and how some characters move from one group to the other forms the tension and release. In the end, it's the one character who chose the wrong side of superstition who is left to wander alone in the desolate desert. The commentary on superstition can be interpreted anyway you want which is what elevates this film. Rather than forcing one viewpoint upon the viewer, the film offers a story and situations that can be interpreted depending upon the viewers mood or temperament which comes across as effortless in the film but takes careful writing and directing which is why I believe this work to be of the highest order.

Overall, one of the best films I've seen in the past number of years. I was never once bored...I was fully engaged by the story, characters, humor and visuals. To some, this may seem like a simple, slow, boring story where not much happens but in reality, it's evident to students of film how much effort was put into crafting this gem.

Our Yearning for the Unknown/Meta-physical

[tourage · 9/10 · 29 November 2023]

Our yearning and reverence for the unknown is irreducible to its existence. Meaning, it is irrelevant whether anything beyond our physical world exists or not, we create that "meta" physical because we need it. Lest you think this is solely a religious thing think about how we need films and literature and generally fiction to deal with the uncertainty of our lives. We yearn for these conceptions of god or superheroes or saints and sages because of anxieties of uncertainties in our lives. Of course we can find the strength within ourselves, no need to go out out in the mystical realms to search for it. But the point remains, that the unknown/mystical/gods/superheroes work their "magic" even if/when they do not exist.

This is the point of this film.

This explains why our yearning for something "beyond our physical world," which is the meaning of meta-physics, often translates into psychic investments (for example in form of in form of awe or fear) in places, events or objects. We have apartment buildings with no 13th floor, as if the evil forces of bad luck taking the elevator will not notice that 14th is actually the 13th floor. The landscapes of Iran, Pakistan and India is dotted with shrines of barely known saints and sages that have become centers of local pilgrimage. In The Unknown Saint (2019), a film by the Moroccan director Alaa Eddine Aljem, a thief on the run buries the loot on top of a hill near a remote village. Returning from prison years later he finds that people have built a shrine over the spot and an entire village around it, believing it to be the grave of an unknown saint. And if you think it is only the backward countries that are superstitious visit Brother Andre's chapel in Montreal's Oratory to see all the crutches and canes of people who were healed.

wow

[alfaelfaissel · 10/10 · 29 April 2022]

My favorite movie is the the unknown saint. The movie is so amazing and the story is interesting. Also the mystery of the story makes it great. I watched the movie many times and never get board of it. Everything in the movie is great including the actors and actresses played their role in a good way. ❤

Subtle, funny and well shot

[alihayyas · 10/10 · 7 November 2022]

There are movies that you come across when you are having a rough time and this was one of them for me.

The concept is very interesting, a man hiding a bag of stolen money created a city and almost a new cult/religion in a Moroccan desert.

The comedy is definitely not obvious and is very subtle.

Some people came in expecting a much faster pace movie, but that wouldn't have done 10% of what this has done.

There are some sub stories that all relate to the main plot, but all share a similar theme of being casted aside to the periphery in a forsaken area that was created by nobody else but the inhabitants.

You don't need to have that much knowledge of the culture or religions to understand the movie.

Netflix provides a decent, but not perfect English translation.