netflixed

When Silenus recommended this via Netflix notes, he wrote something like "I couldn't sit through this, but it occurs to me your stoner ass might like it." Indeed, my stoner ass did. I often fantasize about dropping out and living a monastic existence: the self-scrutiny, the time for research, the Gregorian Chant--all of that appeals to me. Some monastaries even brew good beer! Of course there's no porn...

Into Great Silence simply shows you monks at work, at prayer, eating their meals, reading, singing, etc. You see them get haircuts, you see them cut cloth for robes, you see them garden. That's it. For two and half hours. Interspersed occasionally with shots of nature. I particularly like the individual monks sitting and facing the camera in silence. Oh, and I laughed out loud when they have a debate about what some regard as a worthless tradition whilst hiking the Alps: "I don't object to ritual hand-washing, I just fail to remember to dirty them before hand."