The Prayer
Anthony Bajon, Damien Chapelle, Alex Brendemühl, Louise Grinberg, Hanna Schygulla, Maïté Maillé
Thomas, a 22-year-old heroin addict, joins an isolated community at a Catholic rehab centre in the French Alps with the aim to try to kick his habit. The film chronicles his difficult path to recovery through a mix of prayer and hard labour, the short-tempered adolescent’s transformation into an independent, spiritual being. Its greatest fortes are unpretentious, precise direction, the courage to render the story in painful detail and a brilliant cast. Kahn’s feature is a humble character study, a formally pure, quiet celebration of human compassion and determination – a discreet, yet piercing and unsentimental account of faith, redemption, addiction, and the tough choice one is compelled to make between love of humans and God.