The Prayer

Twenty-two-year-old Thomas can’t kick his drug habit. His last chance is a community of young men from different countries and social backgrounds who also want to overcome their addictions and are living together in a remote house in the French mountains. Supervised by a Catholic priest, their days revolve around regular prayer, solidarity and hard labour in the fields. Not everyone manages to submit themselves to this monastic existence. For Thomas too, every day is a struggle, but he is helped by the unreserved sense of unity and friendship he encounters, as well as his acquaintance with a girl who lives nearby. Gradually, Thomas begins to give his new life a chance – could this be the way forward?
In his film, Cédric Kahn accompanies at close quarters a disoriented young man who finds his way back into everyday life through faith and friendship. And as we watch, we too are challenged to rethink our position and rediscover religion. The rugged, secluded mountainous location becomes a place of reflection in a film that does not itself take sides.

(source: Berlinale)