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7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Assisi remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly? Only if you are currently obsessed with 14th-century Italian frescoes or you need some background noise for a nap. If you go in looking for a plot, you are going to be staring at your watch within five minutes. It’s for the art history nerds, really. Everyone else is probably going to find it painfully dry.
The whole thing feels like being dragged through a church by a relative who refuses to stop talking about the ceiling. I mean, the art is gorgeous, don't get me wrong. But the way the camera moves—or doesn't move—makes you feel like you're strapped to a very slow-moving cart.
There is this one sequence where the camera just sort of drifts over the paintings by Giotto. It tries to make you feel like you're walking right up to the wall, but it mostly just makes me want to stretch my legs. It reminded me a bit of the static nature of In a Naturalist's Garden, just with more saints and less greenery.
The pacing is… well, it’s not really there. It just exists. It rolls from one fresco to the next without much of a thought for whether the audience is still awake. Some of the shots of the city streets are fine, but they feel like filler between the real meat of the art pieces.
I found myself wondering if they just set the camera on a tripod and walked away to grab a sandwich. Some shots linger for an eternity, and not in the 'deeply emotional' way. It’s just long. Just very long. ⛪️
The narration is a bit heavy, too. It’s not trying to be Where Am I? with its frantic energy; it’s the complete opposite. It’s almost too respectful. It’s afraid to touch the subject matter, so it just stares at it from a distance.
It’s not a bad experience, but it’s barely a film experience. It’s a document. If you love Assisi, you’ll dig it. If you want a story, look elsewhere. 🤷♂️