Into Great Slience

How do monks do it? How do they spend so much time living so modestly and quietly? We’ve all pondered it, but for the most part we’ve been forced to rely on our (often overactive) imaginations to surmise what the life of a monk might actually be like. Thankfully, German filmmaker Philip Groning offers a more researched depiction of their daily life in his stunning documentary Into Great Silence. Without a crew or much equipment, Groning filmed his six-month stint living among the monks in a massive monastery. His film screens today at the UWM Union Theatre at 4 and 7 p.m.