Occasionally I wonder if the great documentarian Frederick Wiseman was able to make himself invisible. I know that makes no sense, but it would explain his uncanny ability to enable his camera crews to blend into the environment, capturing life just as it happened. His films are masterpieces of immersion, making you feel like you are in those rooms, in those conversations.
A luminary of “observational cinema,” Wiseman never relied on narration or talking heads to explain what was going on, instead conveying information by showing his subjects at work or in conversation. He used his films to explore institutions, like a state hospital for the “criminally insane” (“Titicut Follies,” 1967), high schools, hospitals and the welfare system. By simply capturing life within those institutions, he revealed something about their values and the values of American society at large. And despite his refusal to insert himself into the narrative, his perspective shone through, particularly his keen interest in people and his concern for social issues.
Wiseman, who passed away in February, mostly focused on secular institutions, but he did once turn his camera on religious life. In “Essene” (1972), Wiseman gave us a glimpse into life in an Anglican Benedictine monastery in Michigan, at a time of transition in American social, political and religious life. The film follows the brothers through work and prayer as they try to adapt an ancient monastic rule to modern society.
But ultimately “Essene” asks the question that all of Wiseman’s films ask: How do people with wildly diverse backgrounds, perspectives, goals and personalities come together to serve a common mission? As we watch one monastery navigate the graces and challenges of community life, it becomes a microcosm for the entire church. And even though the film’s subjects are Anglican, it will all feel very familiar to Catholic viewers.
My friends who belong to religious orders describe community life as both a gift and a cross. Living so closely with others can be a wonderful source of consolation, but it also inevitably leads to tensions. In “Essene” we see an older monk, Brother Wilfred, complain about the younger brothers calling him by his first name, which he insists is a sign of disrespect. In turn, other monks raise their concerns that Brother Wilfred’s abrasive personality will drive away some of the newer brothers. “He doesn’t like anybody here,” a monk says. (“I think that’s stronger than my experience of him,” says the abbot, conciliatory, “because I see him converting.”)
Tensions also emerge in styles of worship and engagement with religious life. The older monks gravitate toward more quiet and ritual, while the younger monks prefer a charismatic style of prayer and are effusive and personal in their faith sharing. You also get the sense that the younger monks, who tend to wear their hair longer, are more politically concerned and progressive. We hear one pray for the release of draft protesters from prison, another for the Berrigan brothers. (The younger brothers seem to like the Jesuits: One prays in thanksgiving for the society’s “marvelous harvesting” of the word of God and later complains that he has no patience for priests “who don’t understand Chardin.”)
There are tears and harsh words, grandstanding and passive aggressive prayer intentions. For men committed to following Christ, sometimes it seems that their biggest challenge is loving their literal neighbor. As one brother says: “Quite often a man walks into the front gate out here and immediately you feel close to him. That is the love between Christians. But then there is the individual, the person whom God created. This is the one we have difficulty with.”
But before you get the impression that the film is “Real World: Benedictines,” I should also say that the film is full of grace. Wiseman captures the monks at work and at prayer, and it’s deeply moving to see their humble dedication to both. Older monks counsel younger ones with patience and understanding. The community organizes a prayer service for a brother who is dealing with a serious illness, and you can tell how much it means to him. They have friction, but they also support and uplift each other.
Wiseman’s films invited reflection on how the particulars of an institution might hold up a mirror to the world at large. “Essene” is about one monastery, but you don’t need to be a monk to relate to its meditation on the joys and challenges of community. In our families, our country and our church we have to navigate the tension of “unity in diversity,” balancing our personal needs and priorities with the greater good.
It also means being patient with the people with whom we share our lives, even when they drive us crazy. One monk tells the others that community life is about accepting each person “not for just what he is at the moment, but for what he is becoming…. You’re watching a person begin to blossom. Come to real life.” That can be a difficult, frustrating thing. But it can also be beautiful.
“Essene” is streaming on Kanopy, as are many of Frederick Wiseman’s other films.
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