Agora (5 Stars)

I saw this film in the cinema and was struck by the visual imagery. After buying the DVD and watching it a second time I'm even more amazed. This film deserves to be regarded as a classic.

At its core the film is a story of the personal journey of a woman fighting to establish herself in a man's world. The woman is the astronomer Hypatia who lived in Greece around 400 AD. It isn't a simple story, because at times the background events overshadow Hypatia's plight. It was a world in turmoil. Christianity had recently been made the official religion of the Roman Empire, and the Christians showed their gratefulness for the end of persecution by breaking into murderous riots, killing both Jews and pagans.In the midst of the chaos Hypatia worked quietly, studying the heavens and teaching her students.