A recent tweet I saw reminded me of a small, but intriguing movie, “Mindwalk”, done in 1990 or 1991. It isn’t likely to show up on cable, but can be found on Amazon, only in VHS. I’m not familiar enough with Hulu and Netflix to know if you can find it through them.

The tweet showed a great photo of Mont Saint Michele, a spectacular place to visit in France. For those who haven’t been there, it was a “tidal island” that could only be accessed by land for a certain number of hours when the tide was low enough. The first buildings went in around the 9th or 10th century and then others followed over time, to include a huge abbey. The village grew to a degree and ultimately became a tourist destination. During the peak of tourist season, it’s rather bustling, but in off-season, it’s very easy to be out at night and have a sense of what it must have been like long ago before there were crowds. Almost a dozen years ago, the French government set into motion a major project to build a bridge and relocate the car park so it is truly an island again.

Anyway, the movie is superbly cast with only three primary characters: Liv Ullman, Sam Waterston, and John Hurt. Ullman, a physicist, has withdrawn to live on the island (although I think her daughter is there, too). Waterston, an American politician, has lost a election and his ex-pat friend, Hurt, invites him to come to France for a bit and they travel to Mont Saint Michel. The trio meets and through the day and into the evening, they engage in conversations that become increasingly philosophical amid the backdrop of this extraordinary place. It is a quiet, wonderful little movie that is definitely one of those where, “Everyone talks a lot”, as our son used to say when he was about six. While intense emotions do come into play, they are not the rancorous sort that leaves you feeling drained. Although it is not a light movie, for us, it was thoroughly enjoyable.