Mother Joan of the Angels is a film against dogma. (…) It is a love story about a man and a woman who wear church clothes, and whose religion does not allow them to love each other. (…) The devils that possess these characters are the external manifestations of their repressed love.
– Jerzy Kawalerowicz
What actually are devils if not the repressed desires, love and souls?
It is based on Mohan Rakesh's three Act play by the same name. Before watching it I read the whole play and then watched the film. I must say that Mani Kaul has done total justice to Rakesh's play. He grasped the true tone and pace of the play and presented it in a masterful way in this film.
It is filmed in typical Mani Kaul style, which is influenced by Bresson. As I have said earlier in my review…
Saints, I see
The world is mad
If I tell the truth
They rush to beat me
If I lie they trust me
Hindus claim Ram as the One
Muslims claim Rahim
Then they kill each other
Knowing not
The essence
With prayer beads and caps
And brows of holy paint
They lose themselves
In sacred hymns but
Know not their own souls
Many holy men I've seen
Teacher of holy books
Who acquire disciples
Venerate graves
But know not…
