Blessed Art Thou is the account of a monastery in the heart of California wine country which, with its centuries-old tradition of ritual, discipline, and solitude, has for the most part maintained a degree of insularity from the intrusions of the secular world. This is not completely possible, however, because the production of high-quality vintages, the business of running a seemingly outmoded institution, the turnover in the membership of the order, and other worldly concerns have definitely affected the traditional structure and stability of the community. And so when a member of the order experiences a miraculous encounter, the implications are significant and surprisingly fractious. A community customarily full of serenity and piety must grapple with the fundamental tension between faith and reason, but the results for us are sublime.

release year: 1999

star(s): Bernard Hill