Himmo, King of Jerusalem (1987) User Reviews

intriguing but elusive wartime drama

[mjneu59 · 8/10 · 27 November 2010]

During the 1948 siege of Jerusalem a young nurse arrives at an understaffed, makeshift hospital in an old Christian monastery; among the invalid soldiers is a once popular ladies man now fatally crippled by the loss of both legs, on arm, and most of his face. What follows is an intriguing Gothic allegory, played out against a dreamlike background of wounded bodies and minds. Much of the symbolism is elusive, but the film was directed with an artist's eye for deeper meanings, some of which aren't easily translated over the twin barriers of language and culture. And yet there's no denying the skill and talent behind the camera. The action is symbolic but never portentous, mysterious but never confusing, dark but never oppressive, and the pace never flags over its 86 swift minutes.