"Agora" Finds US Distributor

The film Agora, starring sci-fi darling Rachel Weisz, has finally found a distrubutor in the United States. The movie tells the story of Hypatia, an enlightened philosopher who lives in Roman-governed Alexandria. As Christianity moves in, shoving the old Pagan ways aside, Hypatia faces the violence of her own world, and the powerlessness of human reason in the face of political change.

Agora, directed by Alejandro Amenabar, has been breaking box-office records in Spain, but American companies were reluctant to stake their claims on something so intellectual and heavy. After all, there are no sparkly vampires or car chases, so despite a good showing in Cannes, the movie basically sat on a shelf for several months. Now Newmarket Films has picked up the U.S. rights, and hopefully it should be available for American viewers some time early next year.

This is one of those movies that I'll probably have to go see alone, because none of my friends are likely to sit through a 2 1/2 hour drama about religion, history, reason, politics, and an intellectual woman who is passionate about both astronomy and the two men in her life. But I'm looking forward to it, and I hear that Weisz' performance is just stunning. Here's hoping Newmarket follows through!

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