a few clips from the movie

Amparo 2022-12-06 04:46:13

In the movie, there are several scenes of gradually zooming in from the earth in the universe to overlooking the city of Alexandria. In the first half of the movie, the meaning of this shot is not very obvious, it makes people feel as if they are observing all beings from the perspective of a god, or just like a projection of attention, as if to say: Then at that time, How does the story go? Later, when the audience sees Hypatia's thinking about the model of the universe moving forward, the meaning of this shot is gradually enriched. No matter what kind of noise is happening on the ground, the universe always operates in its own way, and the madness of a certain corner or a certain ethnic group is only due to their ignorance and narrow-mindedness. This gradient in scale has a satirical effect on human hubris and limitations. However, I also don't believe that the director behind the camera is completely pessimistic, because anyway, there is still a great wisdom who can touch the truth and, in a sense, be an eternal part of the universe.

Also, there are two lenses that impressed me a lot. One is during the first conflict between polytheists and Christians, the camera slowly sweeps across the chaotic squares and streets, and the camera does not pay special attention to any one individual, because we see the behavior of the individual at such a moment is so amazing Unity, attack, retreat, escape, struggle like a tide. The second is when Christians storm into the library and destroy books wantonly. At this time, the camera drifts between the scrolls thrown into the air, aiming at the bright patio, while the dome of the library is spinning, just as the universe is never disturbed However, the situation on the ground has become crazy, and the world in the camera has been turned upside down; finally we see that in the accelerated top-down camera, people move like ants and cells, throwing their own consciousness and wisdom into the fire, Particles, like floating disturbances in the medium, have lost their weight.

PS: When I learned that the same director also shot the long shot of flying over the valley in "Eternal Sleep", I couldn't help but double my liking for this film.

View more about Agora reviews

Extended Reading

Agora quotes

  • Hypatia: Synesius, you don't question what you believe, or cannot. I must.

  • Hypatia: [Looks up at night sky] If I could just unravel this just a little bit more, and just get a little closer to the answer, then... Then I would go to my grave a happy woman.