THE award for the cine matic odd couple of 2007 goes to an 82-year-old virgin bachelor and a nun young enough to be his granddaughter.
No, they’re not characters in a perverted Japanese movie, they are the centerpieces of the delightful documentary “The Monastery,” directed and lensed by Pernille Rose Gronkjaer of Denmark.
The gentleman, Mr. Vig – who’s equipped with a long, unruly beard and hair – lives in a rundown castle in Denmark.
He has plans for the building; he’d love to have it turned into a Russian Orthodox monastery.
To see if the building is suitable, church officials in Moscow send a small contingent to visit it. That group is headed by a Sister Ambrosija.
Since Vig is long set in his ways, and Sister Ambrosija likes things done her way, friction ensues.
Gronkjaer pleasantly depicts the give-and-take between the old man and the nun.
Vig is such a character – filmthreat.com calls him a cross between Scrooge and Rasputin – that you end up sympathizing with him.
Gronkjaer’s cinematography is pleasing, with beautiful sunsets and tranquil snowscapes. I won’t give away the ending, but it might bring a tear to your eye.
THE MONASTERY The old man and the nun.In Danish, English and Russian, with subtitles. Running time: 84 minutes. Not rated (nothing out of order). At Film Forum, Houston Street, west of Sixth Avenue.