IN YOUR HANDS

Denmark, 2003, 101 minutes, Colour.
Ann Eleanora Jorgensen, Trine Dyrhaolm.
Directed by Annette K. Olesen.

In Your Hands is allegedly the last of the films made under the Dogme creed. It follows the principles in its basic and ‘realistic’ style. However, its strong narrative and powerful performances ensures that it makes an impact on a wider audience than some of the previous Dogme films.

Religion is at the core of the film. The central character, Anne, has recently completed her studies for the priesthood and has been ordained. She has applied for a position as prison chaplain. This theme alone makes for an interesting film: a woman priest dealing with her ministry and its demands, especially the unpredictability and hostility in prison chaplaincy, and her managing her home life and her marriage along with her work.

However, In Your Hands goes further. The previously infertile priest is pregnant. What is the role of the addict prisoner, Kate, who is a gentle person with a gift of healing hands? Especially as it is soon revealed that she had left her baby for days while high on drugs and the baby had died from dehydration?

And then, the film goes further again. The baby may have a chromosome deficiency with the result of a 10% possibility of some defect. The Danish answer is abortion. How does this relate to Anne as a woman, mother, priest, woman of faith?

This is more than enough material for reflecting on during a film. The faith struggles are sometimes harrowing, especially in a scene where Kate asks Anne to teach her how to pray and Anne tries to get through the Our Father but cannot. The film builds to a gruelling climax reminding those who remember Ingmar Bergman’s many cinema explorations of the presence and, especially, the absence of God that there is often a bleakness in Scandinavian faith that can lead to pessimism.

Which means that In Your Hands is a powerful film experience but quite unsettling.

1. The impact of this film? For women? Men? A Danish film, Danish perspective? On life, religion, morality? The supernatural, miracles?

2. The film as a dogme film, the dogme creed, the natural performances, lighting, effect? Musical score?

3. The film as a film of struggle, faith, prayer, God, the absence of God, miracles, morality, moral decisions?

4. The ending and Ann, her decision, what led to the decision, especially about responsibility and death, her role in Kate’s death? The absence of God?

5. The initial interview, Ann and her studies, her faith, the priesthood, her request to be chaplain, the interviewer asking her about her experience and lack of experience? The wisdom of sending her to the prison – in light of what subsequently happened? The later interview in the carpark and wanting to stay?

6. Ann, in herself, her marriage, her relationship with Frank? Sexuality and priesthood? Her being infertile? Frank’s comment on her sister, Ann and her offhand comments about shamanism and New Age beliefs? Her own pregnancy, Kate telling her? The test and it being true? Her life at home, her relationship with Frank, trust in him? The visits to the doctor, the discussions about pregnancy, the scans, the tests? The information about her baby and the possibility of chromosome defects and the consequent retardation? The small percentage? The decision about abortion, what other women had done, the percentage? Her own feelings, Frank avoiding the issue, their arguments? Ann’s irritability? Her wanting further scans, imposing on the nurse? Her gradual making of the decision? Her visits to Kate, Kate telling her of the pregnancy, Kate telling her it was a girl? Ann and her anger, her getting drunk, lying in the chapel? The appointment, meeting Frank, the final decision? The pro-life/pro-choice issues about a woman’s body, children? In the light of Christian morality?

7. The portrait of the prisoners, their lifestyles, their rooms, meals? The outings – especially Kate with the guard, the café, her affection for him? Their being locked in? The background of their crimes? Women, prisoners, their age? Marian and her drug-taking, her friendship with Kate, Kate healing her? Jossi imposing on Marian, forcing her to hold the drugs? Jossi, drug dealing in the prison, forcing her daughter to give her the drugs, her bitterness about Ann, Kate and the hindrance to her trade, her pressure on Marian? Her revealing the truth about Kate? The peer pressure? Especially in their final rejection of Kate, even Marian?

8. The focus on Kate, her arrival, nice, the usual processes in imprisonment? Alone? With the others, the information about her healing power? The comments on the guards about it being psychosis? Her healing of Marian? The visit with Kate and telling her of her pregnancy? Her coming to the chapel, wanting to pray, the repetition of the Our Father? Ann and her abrupt moodiness and leaving the chapel? Ann and her finding out what Kate did? Kate and her being on drugs, leaving her baby, its dying from dehydration? Ann’s anger with Kate, the women overhearing, the revelation of the truth? Kate being shunned, hurt? Taking the drugs, her death?

9. Ann’s ministry, with the women, the men, the guards – and the friendly guard finding the file? Her preaching in the chapel? The effect of this ministry on her life? Her own upset about her pregnancy, the illness? Her inability to help Kate with the Our Father? The discussions with the supervisor?

10. The sympathetic guard, his friend who experienced threats to his family and his fears? His friendship with Kate, going out with her, the affection? Jossi’s mother seeing them? The guard seeing them? The threat to him about relationships with prisoners, his abrupt closing the relationship with Kate and its effect on her, surprise?

11. Ann and her desperation, the decision to have the abortion, going to Kate, possibly hoping for help, her outburst against her? Her going to the chapel, drunk, her loss of faith? The news about Kate’s death and its impact on her? Hurrying into the hospital? The decision, Frank’s being there, the abortion?

12. The title, its truth, ironies? In Kate’s hands, in God’s hands, her moral decisions in her own hands?