Here’s a film for those old enough to recall a resurgence of interest in monasticism in the late 1980s when records - yes, records - and tapes of Gregorian chants were bought and played for an uncommon peace. And if you were one of those who has read all the books by and about Thomas Merton, then this film is for you. If you had dreams of wearing a nun’s habit, or toyed with the idea of being a priest or monk, then this film is for you. If you love and understand meditation and silence, then Into Great Silence was made for you. Why? Because it has almost no dialogue or music. And when there is dialogue it consists mostly of prayers. The rare music comes from mass or reading from the Bible.

It is a detailed and divining look at cloistered life inside the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps. The conversation as well as the prayers are in French, with English subtitles. But its rarified atmosphere is more like Lourdes than Paris. Filmed by German filmmaker Philip Gröning in 2006, the film runs for 162 minutes and is available on DVD.

Silence is a typical vow of those who enter cloistered orders. It is based on the belief that the five senses and the portals of the body are sources of evil, or where evil can gain a foothold and thus pull one down and away from God. Those who follow an order and its “rules” must shun any sort of stimuli that might lead to impurity in thought, word or deed — a truly holy life the goal. So when the world is offered this rare glimpse into such a life, don’t expect a party or even a sound.

The very stillness of this film made it akin to watching great art at the Louvre in Paris. But instead of the watcher moving around the picture, the picture moves around the watcher.

The audience is taken by the hand inside the cell (a small walled-off space) of the monk and inside his life. The grounds are also on display, an alpine view of snow-covered mountains, valleys, woods and streams. Throughout the film each of the monks, from applicant to abbot, is introduced. We are not told their names, nor do they talk on camera. It is only a face that we study. Monks who appear in the film are not actors, but people living a group life, bien difficile, especially by modern standards. But the difficulty is more than physical, it is also emotional and spiritual. The men are seduced into following Christ and they are fully aware and welcome this seduction. We are reminded of this, along with other aphorisms (spelled out in French, German and English) throughout the film.