Agora

Romanian title

Agora

Production year

2009

Country

USA, Spain

Genre

Adventure, Drama, History, Romance

Director

Alejandro Amenábar

Cast

Rachel Weisz
Max Minghella
Oscar Isaac
Sami Samir

Theatrical release

22. January 2010

DVD release

1. July 2010

Synopsis

In fourth century Roman Egypt, glorious Alexandria is home to its legendary Library, an unparalleled bastion of knowledge and teachings from the Ancient world. Fiery scholar and philosopher Hypatia (Weisz) is for many the emblem of this great institution and an inspiration to her pupils who she teaches to trust in only one principle, an unwavering passion for the truth.

Yet even as Hypatia stands on the brink of unlocking the mysteries of our solar system centuries before Copernicus and Galileo, her life's work is threatened by the rise of Christianity and its escalating conflict with traditional pagans. Empowered by the Emperor's conversion, the minority Christian population of Alexandria incites violence in the streets, and the city eventually erupts into civil war on a Pompeian scale.

Amidst the carnage and chaos, Hypatia finds herself torn between the passions of two men who ardently love her: her devoted slave Davus (Max Minghella), at odds between his growing love for his mistress and the freedom he could obtain by joining the rising tide of Christianity; and her pupil, the noble Orestes (Oscar Isaac) who relies on her wise counsel to guide his political manoeuvrings in a complex climate of civil violence.

With her own life increasingly at risk, this extraordinary woman forfeits her chance at love and protection to pursue her quest more than ever - fighting for the world that might have been, but tragically falling prey to the one it has become....


"This elaborately … production is consistently spectacular“ (Todd McCarthy / Variety)