A film by Damien Boyer Genre: Documentary Classification: General audiences Versions: VF Running time: 90 minutes
Synopsis They were thought to have disappeared, relegated to the dark pages of colonial history. Yet they are still here, satchel and Bible in hand, in a very different form. A new generation of missionaries endures, largely unseen. This film reveals priests driven by ardent faith and a profound rage to live, whom some call: “Les Baroudeurs du Christ”. Far from the clichés of the past, they impress with their courage, devotion, and deeply moving humanity. Even more, they radiate a contagious joy, that of a life offered without reserve. Their mission? To leave with no return, for a country they did not choose. To love, serve, share, laugh, and weep with those they go to meet. Have they truly grasped how difficult it is to fully embrace a new culture, a new way of thinking, a new language? Will they be able to keep their commitment for their entire lives? They were not destined for these paths. Some had their lives mapped out, others were building solid careers. And yet, one day, the call came, irrevocable. They left everything behind, not to flee, but to put down roots elsewhere, in brutal and forgotten realities. In the heat-crushed alleyways of Calcutta, a center once again echoes with children's laughter and cries. Farther away, on the silent waters of Cambodge, a discreet presence tries to soothe the wounds of a past that still burns. On the edge of a country peopled with shadows, discreet figures cross the North Korean border, guided by an outstretched hand. In the heart of a Taiwanese recycling center, souls branded by hardship find, against all odds, a gaze that no longer condemns them. And in a remote village in Madagascar, a fresco comes to life under the hesitant fingers of children, revealing beauty through art and each person's talents. Since 1658, these priests of the Missions Étrangères de Paris have followed one another in service to the peoples of Asia and the Océan Indien, and are part of a tradition that transcends eras and fashions. In their mission, the difficulties are both internal and external: impulsiveness, personal wounds, solitude, the language barrier, political pressure... Despite these obstacles, they give themselves with all that they are, and each carries out his mission with his own originality. They are neither heroes nor martyrs. Just men who have chosen to blend into the other, even to the point of losing themselves. To give everything for those whom God loves and whom the world has forgotten. A vibrant film about the absolute, total commitment, and exaltation, resonating in our hearts as we search for meaning.
Price: 4 euros
Source: paris.fr — photo: MEP