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In 1244, during a time of religious persecution, Pope Innocent IV and King Louis IX of France sought to eradicate a pacifist Christian group known as Cathars. The last of the Cathar heretics found protection at the Castle of Montsegur. Here a dedicated group of about 100 defending knights, under the Leadership of Lord Raymond and his family, held a crusading army of over 10,000 mercenaries at bay for 9 months. To this day, many people believe that the Cathars were the guardians of a treasure of great significance, possibly even the Holy Grail. It is rumoured that in the last days of the siege a small group managed to slip away in the dead of night to retrieve this hidden treasure and get it safely away from the clutches of the Catholic Church. This is their story.
In tiny Colewell, Pennsylvania, the residents gather at the post office for mail and gossip, while the days pass quiet and serene. That is until news comes that the office is to close, and beloved clerk Nora (a marvelous Karen Allen) is left to fight for her job and reflect on the choices she has made that kept her in Colewell for so many years. Touching, with a hint of melancholy, Tom Quinn’s eloquent film is an ode to small-town life and the quiet emotions that come with nostalgia and memories of the past. As fears arise around her future and her past becomes ever more present, Nora states, “I don’t want to be lonely,” but what that means is elusive. Colewell gorgeously captures rural America, while giving space to the beauty of time passing and reflecting on what determines a life well lived.
An ominous dream convinces 77-year-old Dayanand Kumar that his end could be near. He takes the news to his son Rajiv, knowing he wants to breathe his last in the holy city of Varanasi and end the cycle of rebirth, by attaining salvation. Being the dutiful son he is, Rajiv is left with no choice but to drop everything and make the journey with his stubborn father. Daya and Rajiv check into Mukti Bhawan (Hotel Salvation) in Varanasi, a guesthouse devoted to people who want to die there. But as the days go by, Rajiv struggles to juggle his responsibilities back home, while Daya starts to bloom in the hotel. Rajiv gives his father a shot at salvation but as family bonds are tested, he finds himself torn, and not knowing what he must do to keep his life together.