This film is part of Rentals

Beyond the Hills 12 rating

Cristian Mungiu's scarily plausible drama about a nun's friend suffering for her love in a nunnery; obsession and superstition wreak havoc.

Drama 2012 152 mins

Director: Cristian Mungiu

Overview

Alina and Voichita grew up in an orphanage together, where a strong bond developed between them. When Alina left Romania to attempt to make a life for herself in Germany, Voichita became a novice nun at an Orthodox church in an isolated mountainous region of the country. Alina needs her friend’s help with documentation, but is also desperate to stay with the only person she has ever loved, expecting Voichita to leave the church and return with her to Germany.

Yet Voichita, surrounded by women with unquestioning faith in a community run by a deeply conservative priest, has found such a devout calling that choosing between the love of Alina and the love of God proves to be an agonising experience.