It is 1429. While the war between France and England (the Hundred Years War) appeared settled in 1420, in England's favour, the death of King Henry V of England reignites it. England occupies large areas of France and appears set to take the whole of it. Into this moment of crisis rides legendary Joan of Arc, a teenage girl who claims to be lead by divine visions.

When it comes to reviewing this movie - for me - it's tricky. Because, yes, some aspects of the movie are historically inaccurate; critics are absolutely tearing it apart - calling it a crass for making Joan an irritating brat), but I think that that is what I adore about the movie. And that is the liberties they take. I love it because it is not a dull biography but a brilliant reimagining. The movie shows scenes of how Joan's visions would occur or how they worked or how the light and wind spoke to her, with deliciously filmed scenes of clouds, sunsets, light, fields, swords, and God Himself sometimes. 

Another thing I totally loved about the movie was the way Joan was portrayed by Milla Jovovich, with directional guidance by Luc Besson. Joan was a saint - yes - devoted to God, wise, kind, loyal to her belief, yet Joan was also a teenage girl, and teenagehood is messy, vulcanic, sullen. And Milla Jovovich does an amazing job playing with those two aspects of Joan. Jovovich bears a sword in her voice - just like Joan - cutting and melancolic. The one scene engraved in my mind is when she chastises her army for not listening to her - 'And why haven't we done anything - because none of you ARE LISTENING TO ME!' - how Jovovich's rage pours from within her but then subsides to regret for yelling almost immediately.

I am so hurt that this movie has so many bad reviews, as I utterly adored it. To me it's an imperfect masterpiece. The story of Joan is a story not only light and trust, but of darkness and betrayal - of faith and its challenges. So do I think that Joan really so His light, or was she just seeing hallucinations like the men in the movie say? I don't have an answer for that - only God does.

All I know is after finishing this movie, I instantly thought of this poem by Rosamund Taylor 'The light comes in the name of the voice' : 'The questions already licked/ her arms; behind the voice, her white ashes -// and somewhere she still knelt by the pigsty, hands tense/ as if searching for a sword.'