Christianity- the religion of love (Agora)

Agora starring Rachel Weish is an objective portrayal of unspeakable times when paganism wasn’t yet done, and Christianity wasn’t yet fully ruling people’s lives. It’s definitely a well-made film, however, I believe it clearly lacks vitality and intimacy that I tend to closely associate with the director’s name. It is hard to compare other Amenábar’s achievements to Agora, however, the film has left me with the impression that not only can Amenábar still surprise me, but also he can separate himself from the technical elements that I considered crucial to his style.

Agora is a story of a Roman philosopher, Hypathia, who lives in society divided between paganism and Christianity. Pagan herself, Hypathia is extraordinarily tolerant towards the raising religion when taking care of filling her students’ minds with messages of peace and understanding. Soon, however, she will discover that it is no longer possible to remain indifferent towards the existing crisis. Stricken by personal wound, she decides to, I guess, teach her surrounding stoicism, for from that moment on the real problem of the film begins.

For me it is hard to believe that Hypathia is never emotionally torn by the surrounding events. She fully devotes herself to education and spends hours trying to figure out what shape Earth really is. Her lack of emotions is not only impossible to identify with, but also impossible to accept. Putting on this inhumane mask, Hypathia makes us believe that she hides nothing under it. Consequently, her story ceases to interest us and we start focusing only on political story that creates a powerful background for philosopher’s ignorant personality.

Inability to sympathise with the character made it difficult for me to enjoy the film. The music did not impress me, montage became weirdly irritating after I saw Earth in relation to other planets thousandth time in a row, and special effects were definitely not elements that I expected myself to enjoy the most. Hypathia seems to be only a badly written excuse for Amenábar to tell us a story of religious wars. Personally, I would prefer it if it was the other way round. The historical background is much more engaging that the philosopher’s life; second- and third-planned characters are much more persuasive and realistic that she is.
Moreover, we can’t be really sure if Hypathia was truly the person she was portrayed to be. Amenábar doesn’t hide the fact that all of her works were burned and destroyed, so the only knowledge we now have is hypothetical. Doubtful realism of the figure doesn’t make me want to learn more about her. And this truly makes Agora fail as a biography.