Overview
A poignant tale of love and faith that explores the boundaries of friendship and devotion.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- oppressive
- intimate
- serious film night
- arthouse cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's spare visual style, rigorous realism, powerful performances, and morally challenging treatment of faith and institutional authority.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Cristian Mungiu uses spare, strikingly shot social realism to examine a Romanian Orthodox convent and its community.
Alina returns to reclaim Voichita, her former lover, while Voichita is preparing to take religious vows.
The priest, mother superior, and nuns respond to Alina's distress through the rules and beliefs of the convent.
The film is described as spare and unadorned, with extended attention to ordinary convent routines and escalating conflict.
Films like Beyond the Hills, and why
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Romanian New Wave austerity, institutional pressure, moral ambiguity, and sustained dramatic tension
The Magdalene Sisters
restrained social realism, religious authority, and psychologically intense female-centered drama
Disobedience
lgbtq intimacy, separation, and conflicted devotion rendered through quiet independent drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Cristian Mungiu
- Release Date
- 2012-10-25
- Runtime
- 150 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (218)
Cast
- Cosmina Stratan
- Cristina Flutur
- Valeriu Andriuță
- Dana Tapalagă
- Cătălina Harabagiu
- Gina Tandura
- Vica Agache
- Nora Covali
- Luminița Gheorghiu
- Dionisie Vitcu
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Sundance Now
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Beyond the Hills about?
- A desperate woman returns to Romania to reclaim her former lover, only to confront a convent whose faith has replaced their intimacy.
- What is Beyond the Hills like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Beyond the Hills as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Beyond the Hills violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Beyond the Hills as moderate.
- What did critics think of Beyond the Hills?
- Critics broadly praised the film's spare visual style, rigorous realism, powerful performances, and morally challenging treatment of faith and institutional authority.
- Which films are like Beyond the Hills?
- Films with a similar feel include 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, The Magdalene Sisters, and Disobedience.
- How long is Beyond the Hills?
- Beyond the Hills runs 150 minutes.
- Where can I watch Beyond the Hills?
- In United States, Beyond the Hills streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Sundance Now.
