Agora (film)

Agora (Spanish: Ágora) is a 2009 English-language Spanish historical drama film directed by Alejandro Amenábar and written by Amenábar and Mateo Gil. The film stars Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, a mathematician, philosopher, and astronomer who lived in late 4th-century Roman Egypt. Hypatia works hard to understand how the stars and planets move, facing many challenges along the way.

The story shows the difficult times when new ideas about science met strong beliefs in old traditions. Hypatia tries to protect important knowledge from being lost during a time of big changes. The film also features Max Minghella as Davus, a friend of Hypatia’s family, and Oscar Isaac as Orestes, one of Hypatia’s students who later becomes an important leader.

Agora was shown at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and became very popular in Spain when it was released there in October 2009. Even though it was hard to find in some places, the film was shown in many countries and received several awards, including seven Goya Awards for its storytelling and writing.

Plot

In AD 391, Alexandria was part of the Roman Empire. A wise teacher named Hypatia taught at a school where future leaders learned. She was the daughter of Theon, who led a special place for learning called the Musaeum of Alexandria.

Trouble began when different groups, like Pagans and Christians, started arguing. During one fight, Theon was hurt, and Hypatia had to flee to save important books. Years later, Hypatia kept studying the stars and planets. But some people did not like her ideas and stopped her from teaching. Sadly, things got worse, and a angry group captured Hypatia. Though someone tried to help her, she was hurt during the trouble.

Cast

• Rachel Weisz plays Hypatia of Alexandria, a smart woman who loved learning about math, stars, and ideas. She thinks about how people still fight over beliefs even today.
• Max Minghella plays Davus, a friend who cares for Hypatia but she does not feel the same way. He faces big choices when danger comes.
• Oscar Isaac plays Orestes, a student who admires Hypatia and becomes her close friend.
• Sami Samir plays Saint Cyril of Alexandria
• Manuel Cauchi plays Theophilus of Alexandria, Cyril’s uncle
• Ashraf Barhom plays Ammonius, a Parabalani monk
• Michael Lonsdale plays Theon of Alexandria, Hypatia’s father
• Rupert Evans plays Synesius of Cyrene
• Homayoun Ershadi plays Aspasius, an old friend who helps Hypatia with her work. He is her research assistant.

Production

Development

The director, Alejandro Amenábar, wanted to create a movie that would make astronomy and science exciting and easy to understand. After watching the night sky on the island of Malta, he became interested in astronomy and learned about famous scientists like Ptolemy, Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo. He was especially drawn to the story of Hypatia, an astronomer from ancient times, because her story connected the past to modern issues.

To make the ancient city of Alexandria look real, Amenábar looked at old films and worked with a designer to create detailed sets without using computer effects. The movie was produced by Fernando Bovaira and had support from several companies.

Filming

Filming started on March 17, 2008, on the island of Malta, and lasted for 15 weeks. The production designer used real sets and locations instead of computer effects. The set was one of the largest ever built on the island and involved nearly 400 people. Filming finished in June.

Release

The film Agora first showed at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, but it took time to find people to show it because it cost a lot and was very long. It had trouble finding places to show it in the United States and Italy, but later found distributors there. The first time it was shown in North America was at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009. The movie started showing in Spain on October 9, 2009, and it broke box office records there. A small group of people got to see it in the United States starting May 28, 2010, only at two places: the Paris Theatre and the Sunshine Cinema in New York City. It later showed on the West Coast of the United States on June 4, only at two screens: The Landmark theatre in Los Angeles and at Regal's Westpark 8 in Irvine.

Home media

In March 2010, Agora came out on DVD and Blu-ray for people living in Region 2. People in Region 1 could get the DVD starting in October 2010.

Reception

Critical response

The film Agora was praised for its ambitious storytelling and strong performances. Critics liked how it focused on real ideas instead of just special effects. Rachel Weisz received special praise for her role as Hypatia.

Overall, the film has a rating of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, with some reviewers feeling the story was a bit confusing.

Response from Christians

Some Christian groups felt the film unfairly showed certain religious groups in a bad light. Others thought the main character showed strong values, even when facing hard times.

Box office

Agora was very popular in Spain, becoming the highest-grossing film there in 2009. It also did well in some parts of the United States, though it did not play in many theaters there. By early 2011, the film had earned about $39 million worldwide.

Accolades

The film received many nominations and won several awards, including seven Goya Awards and a special prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Historical accuracy

The film Agora has been noted for taking some creative liberties with history. For example, it shows the character Hypatia discovering things like the law of free fall and ideas about how the planets move, but these events did not actually happen in real life.

Some parts of the movie look realistic, like the buildings that show a mix of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian styles. However, other details, such as the clothes worn by soldiers, do not match what people actually wore during that time. The story also includes events that did not happen historically, such as certain actions involving a library, which make the film more like a dramatic story than a true historical account.