Hildegard's Ecstatic Emotions In The Film 'Vision'

The Church sees women and men equal before God but not equal on land. This belief is enforced multiple times in the movie Vision. There are many examples in which women are shown and expressed as inferior creatures to men. This belief seems backwards in an abbey where they believe in love and peace, but show inadequacy and weakness when it comes to women in their cloister.

Some may think that Hildegard is treated, at times, too harshly for her visions. Hildegard finally decides to express her visionary gift, but unfortunately, she is not openly shown ecstatic emotions. She confides in her friend, Volmar, and is greeted with the proper expressions of excitement and enthusiasm. She is also greeted with these expressions from Abbot Kuno, although slow to show at first but eventually persuaded into enthusiastic reviews. However, when a council of monks inspects the products of her gift, she is met with skepticism and denial. These emotions are mainly brought up because of her gender. Many may believe this is reinforced with the lines: “You’re saying that you can understand, but we can’t?”; “To claim to hear secrets that prophets were denied? Outrageous!”; “Only the Holy Father can judge her case”; and “She will probably be expelled from the Church as a heretic!” Not only

are the men saying these phrases, but Hildegard reinforces these claims by adding “That I, a weak woman, should be chosen by God to proclaim his will”. Since Hildegard also voices how women are inferior, this shows that society heavily enforces this conclusion.
Sexism is also exhibited as Hildegard tries to leave the Disibodenburg Monastery to make her own with the nuns.

Abbot Kuno denies her pleas to move under the requests from God. Abbot Kuno blatantly denies Hildegard’s request in so many ways by saying “I would never let you virgins go anywhere unprotected” and “If anyone here is unable to conquer their desire for flesh, it is your sisters”. He unfairly makes comments against Hildegard’s proposition to move out of the cloister in Disibodenburg. Once Hildegard finally accomplishes her own cloister, the church sends a monk to go and be with them to supervise them - which shows that the Church does not trust women enough to protect and support

themselves.
These examples prove that sexism is relevant in a religious community where genders should be equal as children of God. However, these beliefs are, sadly, not just enforced by the men. The Church may teach and preach of love, generosity, and humility, but the men don’t often show it. The men don’t express these qualities all the time because they treat these women as weak and beneath them - which in many people’s opinions, is the opposite of how humility and love should be expressed.