We have all done things we have felt bad about. We have all done things where we felt the temptation to give into despair, the temptation to believe we do not deserve forgiveness, leading not only a rejection of divine mercy and grace, but also a kind of self-hatred which does not let us forgive ourselves. In such despair, people tend to cut those they hold most dear out of their lives.
No one should ever feel that way. Yet, the temptation is there, and for many, it is easy to give in to it. Such people need our friendship, mercy, compassion and love all the more. We need to help them see once again the good within themselves. They need to know that as they continue in life’s journey, they do not have to make it alone.
This is one of the themes of the great Russian movie, Andrei Rublev.
While there are many aspects of this film which are pure conjecture, in many ways, the movie should be seen as an image of everyman and everywoman, and the journey we all need to make within ourselves to fully appreciate God’s grace in our lives, to thrive in it, to let it transform us inside out. We need to see that they journey of life with its trials and tribulations is indeed a common journey and one which can lead to happiness and, indeed, glory, but only if we open up and let others share it with us. There is no way we can do it alone.
St Andrei Rublev wrote some of the most beautiful icons in history, despite the turmoil surrounding him and his life.
As St Pavel Florensky once said, that the icon of Rublev’s Holy Trinity exists is one of the greatest proofs of God’s existence. It shows the glory of one touched by God. Only someone blessed with vision from God can produce something so sublime that it radiates beauty. And this movie shows that this glory is available to all; we just need to overcome despair and accept the grace which can transform us just as we see St Andrei Rublev had to learn to become the great, saintly iconographer God meant him to be.
Just a bit of warning: while this movie is great, it is very slow, and for quite some time you might not even see where it is going. It’s like watching a poem made into a film, a poem where its many stanzas becoming the different acts of the film; it is when you see the finale that everything is put into perspective. Here is a clip (without translation) of that last act; don’t watch it if you don’t want any spoilers.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In