I had never heard of this film, and don’t think it ever received a U.S. release, but I rented it because I enjoyed the director’s (Philipp Stölzl) earlier film, The North Face. Oddly, it’s a German production in the English language, based on an American historical novel that evidently became popular in Germany.
The basic plot is about “the life of a Christian English boy in the 11th century who journeys across Europe in order to study medicine among the Persians.”
While the film is slow to get going, and seems almost “made for TV” in spots, it ultimately held my attention for the 2+ hour running time. What I most enjoyed was the main character’s thirst for knowledge and ultimate triumph, while all around him the rise of fundamentalist Islam is destroying civilization.
I’d be curious to see what other Objectivists think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOj-Pn5WJkw
