Because She is a Woman

Title                     : Agora

Directed by          : Alejandro Amenabar                   

Produced by        : Fernando Bovaira and Álvaro Augustin

Written by           : Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gil

Starring               : Rachel Weisz and Max Minghella
Music by             : Dario Marianelli

Cinematography  : Xavi Giménez

Editing by            : Nacho Ruiz Capillas

Release date(s)    : October 9, 2009 (2009-10-09)

Running time        : 126 minutes

Country               : Spain

Language            : English  

Agora is a biopic of Hypatia, a female mathematician, philosopher and astronomer of Roman Egypt in 4^th century. Rachel Weisz stars as Hypatia, act as an independent woman in a history which highlight the relation between religion and science. Christian versus Greco-Roman polytheism in Alexandria.

It is told in the film that Orestes (Oscar Isaac), her pupil at the Platonic school, and Davus, her slave were in love with her. Orestes, moreover, declares his love to Hypatia trough playing music in a public theatre, in front of many people. Whereas Davus only secretly in love.

As a woman, in some cases, Hypatia was lucky to be born as daughter of Theon (Michael Lonsdale), the director of the Museum of Alexandria, beside she is also an independent scientist, and she has some peculiarities that others do not have. She can speak up her mind in Agora, a gathering place in ancient, or teach at school.

However, whatever will be Hypatia is just a woman, when Orestes love and want to possess her, she just such a prey. That is why she rejects Orestes' love and prefers to be a freedom woman.

Two men who have conversation with Theon the day when Orestes declared his love, seems to represent what the society of Roman Empire think about woman. These two men jokingly suggest Theon to accept Orestes love and let them married. Hypatia is great woman people indeed, but as woman she does not get her blessing yet till she gets married. This is Theon's answer.

"Hypatia subjected to a man? without freedom to teach, or even to speak up her mind." You may agree that Hypatia is lucky to have father like Theon.

The struggle of Hypatia does not finished yet. She should fight against Christian to won her love of science. Her research about the heliocentric model of solar system which proposed by Aristarchus contradicts to the 'truth' of Christian. She investigates that the world is sphere. Due to this objection, Hypatia is forbidden to teach at school. In Christian, the only one who knows about the world is God. All is written in bible, so just believe it and do not question it.

Several years later, Orestes become the prefect of Alexandria, and had converted her belief to Christianity. While Synesius (Rupert Evans), one of Hypatia's students, become the Bishop of Cyrene. Both are immersed in a situation after religious commotion, Christian monotheism against Roman-Greco polytheism (science) –Christian called them as pagan. Both of them still appreciate Hypatia as their teacher. Moreover, Orestes yet loves her.

Cyril, stars Sami Samir, sees that Hypatia influences much over on Orestes. Cyril does not accept if the governor is smitten by any other Christian, especially only a woman. Therefore, he set up a public ceremony to force Orestes subjugate her. Synesius also come to rescue her if she agrees to be a Christian. Under all circumstances, Hypatia refuse to be a Christian, she loves science very much. She said that if she becomes a Christian she cannot explore her love on science anymore, because in Christian people are not free even only asking.

Hypatia is accused by Cyril as a witch, he successfully convince the Christendom to kill her. The parabalani then find her, they strip her naked and stone her to death. Anyhow, before that Davus, based on Hypatia permission, suffocates her till die, so when they stone her, she does not feel any pain. 

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