"In a way that neither you nor I can understand, that man was a saint"
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude
Spoilers for Ave Maryam. Ave Maryam is directed and written by Ertanto Robby Soediskam.
If dedication is a sign of love, routine is a love letter written with clear types. Suster Maryam's (Maudy Koesnaedi) daily schedule in the convent consisted of caring for the more elderly nuns: waking them up, bathing them, washing their clothes, keeping them company, and helping them with their night medicine.
In her service, she's not only a manifestation of God's grace-- she also found God's grace in it and she felt wholesome. That is, until Romo Yosef (Chicco Jerikho) was assigned to help around for Christmas.
Her heart had been complete but somehow it got even more so. She watched from afar as he breathed new life into the community she's familiar with. But what captivated her the most was that he could connect with Suster Monic (Tutie Kirana).
It's hard to guess what's inside Suster Monic's mind. Suster Maryam might took care for her around the clock but her old age made it anyone's guess whether she was being passively hostile to her or just inadvertently insensitive. It did seem clear, however, that she had a fixation on her past.
It goes without saying that history keeps repeating itself. Suster Maryam took care of her more senior peers with full knowledge that later on she'd be the one taken care of. Now, with her forties approaching, two starkly different futures loomed ahead: one reflected by the lively Romo Yosef, one by the reclusive Suster Monic.
After much anticipation, the day finally arrived. Suster Maryam sported a bright red dress for her secret escapade with Romo Yosef. To the soft sound of the beach, Suster Maryam saw as Romo Yosef be the first person to welcome her into the brand new chapter of her life, cake in hand, candle flickering.
But as she later found out, although so long has she dreamt of the wave, when she finally arrived at the sea, she still felt miserable. It turned out, that wasn't it for Suster Maryam.Â
