Bruno Dumont could be said to be such a director. His movies are still-lifes of a particular time and place, with no real commentary to guide you in a certain direction. The inner workings of his characters are left inside; the picture is there, and you have to fill in the emotional blanks.

The French filmmaker’s new feature Hadewijch brings the life of the 13th-century poet to the attention of contemporary viewers – albeit in pure contemporary style.

The real Hadewijch wrote poems, letters and accounts of spiritual visions, 100 of which we still have today. From these, scholars have pieced together a history: she travelled a great deal between the lower Netherlands and northern Belgium; probably born in what is now Antwerp, she is often referred to as “Hadewijch of Antwerp”, and the oldest copies of her work were all discovered in Brussels.

Although she lived a spiritual life, she is not considered to have been a nun because that is inconsistent with travel. But she was probably part of a béguinage – or more than one béguinage. She is considered to have been from a wealthy family, as she was clearly well educated, with knowledge of Latin philosophy and both the Latin and French language. Her work suggests that she at some point was persecuted – perhaps forced to leave a béguinage, which led to the writing of her poetical letters. Hadewijch is now considered one of the greatest masters of mediaeval Dutch literature.

Dumont, a former philosophy professor, transforms the character into a young Parisian named Celine Hadewijch (played by Julie Sokolowski, pictured). She has such a complete devotion to God that her oddly rigid attitude is too much even for her convent, and she is sent out into the world “to find herself”. She then walks in the path of Hadewijch of Antwerp, being forced to leave a cloistered safety for the unknown risks of the real world.

Celine befriends a young Muslim man whose brother ultimately takes advantage of her unwavering belief in God, making the point – if bordering on stereotype and certainly awash in pure Dumont ambiguity – that zealotry, no matter what the religion, is dangerous in its disconnection from modern society. If the real Hadewijch exists in this film, it is in this idea.

To discover the real Hadewijch, seek out the books Hadewijch: The Complete Works and Hadewijch: Writer-Beguine-Love Mystic

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