The Monastery – Mr. Vig and the Nun

The Monastery: Mr Vig & The Nun is a powerful movie that brings the spiritual struggle of man into light. Mr. Vig is an eccentric Danish who’s life dream is to establish an Orthodox Monastery in a decrepit castle he bough as a bargain 50 years ago. After many failed attempts Mr. Vig finally succeeds to convince the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate to send some nuns to evaluate the feasibility of his project. Sister Ambrosia‚ who is charged with this mission‚ is not however what one would expect from a nun.

The clash between these two personalities is symbolic for the clash between East and West‚ two different approaches to life and spirituality. Mr. Vig a scholar‚ a virgin that does not understand love and Sister Ambrosia‚ a dedicated‚ high spirited and caring nun learn to understand each other and compromise‚ finding a way to achieve the higher common goal lying ahead of them.

It is very interesting how through the lens of the filmmaker the Orthodox people get a different perspective on their spiritual values and ways of life. It shows how the Orthodox way can be misunderstood at the beginning and taken for something else.