The Vessel

Whatever his influences, Quintana has made his own, fine thing: a quietly powerful depiction of the what is required to rekindle hope in the hopeless.

A modest, but not maudlin, parable of hope about mustering the strength to vigorously plunge again into life's uncertainties after a devastating loss.

It's a strange brew: stark yet beautiful, urgent yet dreamlike.

Quintana's emphasis on Jungian dream logic gives his otherwise spartan parable a compelling mythic dimension.

This muted, moving small-scale tale of sorrow and faith will strike a chord with both the churchgoing crowd and aficionados of Malick's contemplative, theologically predisposed cinema.

We keep waiting for the film to wash over us, and it never quite does.

Julio Quintana turns his camera into an omniscient eye, while raising exciting questions about the distance between tragedy and miracle. [Full review in Spanish]

A clear and obvious example of the difficulty of conveying messages of spiritual transcendence through cinema. [Full review in Spanish]

Even with Martin Sheen's impressive Chris Cringle facial hair, The Vessel annoys and irritates more than anything else. The film may be alluring to look at, but it's absolutely torturous to endure and practically unbearable to watch.

The Vessel is a gorgeously lensed parable. It's just that its messages and symbolism are so heavy-handed, so laden with biblical meaning, they're never left to work their own miracles.

A moving and emotional production.

... a dull, slow paced and unsatisfying movie.