*
52 Weeks, 52 Religious Films*
*“No questions for me this last evening?”
“I'll have them all my life, so better to keep quiet.”*
Léon Morin, Priest is a great religious film from Jean-Pierre Melville during the French New Wave. Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, who was in a couple Jean-Luc Godard films,
Léon Morin, Priest follows a woman named Barny (Emmanuelle Riva), who after feeling convicted of her blossoming infatuation with her female co-worker, goes to priest Léon Morin (Jean-Paul Belmondo) for answers. One night turns into three (Olivia Dean reference), and Barny develops a love for Morin. But Morin is strict when it comes to the idea of him being in love as a priest, and shies away from Barny’s affection.
The one idea that I had in my mind watching this film is that I think we get the idea that God loves a Christian more than an atheist, and it creates the thought for non-believers that nothing they can do will be enough for God’s true love, and so they don’t try. With Barny, she’s overcome by this affection for Léon, and he’s so strict that he even backs away from the touch of her hand. She creates this idea that he’s too pure for her own good. And that’s not the case. No man or woman is sinless. We all sin, God created us with that idea of free will in mind. While it’s never too late to change your heart spiritually, you could be broken and/or lost and God will find you, and love you when you need it most.
There’s a saying at my church that I want to end the review with because not only is it relevant to my review, but also a quote that resonates with me:
“God loves me as if I am the only person in this world to love.”
