SWORD OF GOD (2018)
THIS OCTOBER, FILM MOVEMENT INVITES HOME AUDIENCES TO GET MEDIEVAL WITH A DARK, ENTHRALLING MIDDLE AGES THRILLER
FROM OSCAR-NOMINATED DIRECTOR
BARTOSZ KONOPKA
Label: Film Movement
Release Date: October 20th, 2020
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 104 Minutes
An Official Selection at Sitges and Moscow International Film Festival and Winner of Best Cinematography at Cinepocalypse and the Polish Film Festival, This Taut, Acclaimed Thriller Arrives Fresh off Theatrical Release
Synopsis: In the early Middle Ages, a holy order of knights embarks on a dangerous journey to spread Christianity and baptize the pagan inhabitants of an isolated village hidden deep in the mountains of a faraway island. After being shipwrecked, two lone survivors set out to complete their mission, but instead find themselves pitted against one another in a blood-soaked battle between salvation and damnation. Directed by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Bartosz Konopka, this genre-defying epic has been hailed as an "unforgettable and essential piece of cinema" (Victoria Advocate) that "strikes with brutal clarity" (Screen Anarchy).
Samantha Schorsch of 812 Film Reviews calls SWORD OF GOD "enrapturing, beautiful, and deeply uncomfortable. One of the most fascinating works of Polish cinema, and horror in general, that I've had the pleasure to see this year and beyond." Mark Miller of the ML Miller Writes blog says the thriller "is a powerful and mesmerizing look at how a seemingly holy mission can quickly turn foul given the right circumstances. Reminiscent in tone to Terrence Malick's meditative narratives that soak in the nature around the ugliness of humanity, filmmaker Bartosz Konopka immerses the viewer in a world completely alien and new....it might as well be Mars with the way everything looks. Konopka's camera lingers on beautiful juxtapositions of nature in full bloom and in decay in a way that can't help but transfix the audience." And James Veniere of The Boston Herald says, "Like a wizard, Polish filmmaker Bartosz Konopka summons the elements - the wind, rain, sun, rocks, earth and sky - and with the aid of brilliant cinematographer Jacek Podgorski bends them to his will, turning his violent religious fantasia Sword of God into a mind-bending, time-traveling wonder."
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.39:1)
Audio: Polish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound & 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Bartosz Konopka
Cast: Krzysztof Pieczynski, Karol Bernacki, Wiktoria Gorodecka. Jacek Koman, Jan Bijvoet, Jeroen Perceval
An Official Selection at Sitges and Moscow International Film Festival and Winner of Best Cinematography at Cinepocalypse and the Polish Film Festival, This Taut, Acclaimed Thriller Arrives Fresh off Theatrical Release
Synopsis: In the early Middle Ages, a holy order of knights embarks on a dangerous journey to spread Christianity and baptize the pagan inhabitants of an isolated village hidden deep in the mountains of a faraway island. After being shipwrecked, two lone survivors set out to complete their mission, but instead find themselves pitted against one another in a blood-soaked battle between salvation and damnation. Directed by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Bartosz Konopka, this genre-defying epic has been hailed as an "unforgettable and essential piece of cinema" (Victoria Advocate) that "strikes with brutal clarity" (Screen Anarchy).
Samantha Schorsch of 812 Film Reviews calls SWORD OF GOD "enrapturing, beautiful, and deeply uncomfortable. One of the most fascinating works of Polish cinema, and horror in general, that I've had the pleasure to see this year and beyond." Mark Miller of the ML Miller Writes blog says the thriller "is a powerful and mesmerizing look at how a seemingly holy mission can quickly turn foul given the right circumstances. Reminiscent in tone to Terrence Malick's meditative narratives that soak in the nature around the ugliness of humanity, filmmaker Bartosz Konopka immerses the viewer in a world completely alien and new....it might as well be Mars with the way everything looks. Konopka's camera lingers on beautiful juxtapositions of nature in full bloom and in decay in a way that can't help but transfix the audience." And James Veniere of The Boston Herald says, "Like a wizard, Polish filmmaker Bartosz Konopka summons the elements - the wind, rain, sun, rocks, earth and sky - and with the aid of brilliant cinematographer Jacek Podgorski bends them to his will, turning his violent religious fantasia Sword of God into a mind-bending, time-traveling wonder."
