Amongst the small cadre of film bloggers and critics that have been filing dispatches from the New York Film Festival’s press screenings for the past three weeks, Stellet Licht (Silent Light) seems to be the surprise hit of the festival. I wrote a glowing review last week; with the film’s second and final public screening coming up this evening, after the jump you’ll find a round-up of what people are saying about Carlos Reygada’s mesmerizing Mexican Mennonite drama. If you’re in town, I urge you check it out–I’m pretty sure it’s the best undistributed film I’ve seen all year.

“Carlos Reygadas’ flair for images is flat-out astonishing — the composition of most of these shots is breathtaking. I could watch this guy crawl a camera across wheat fields for six hours. Even when we’re doing nothing more than watching a child’s silent face, it’s absolutely transfixing.”–God & A Bottle

“The microcosm that is the world of Stellet Licht is no gimmick, but rather the perfect stage for this passion play that is as much about spirituality and sacrifice as it is sex and love.” –Filmbrain

“Though bursting with influences - especially David Lynch and Carl Theodor Dreyer - Silent Light feels entirely fresh, and despite a measured pace, mesmerizes with a dread that looms over every exquisitely framed shot.” –Laura Kern

“Stellet Licht shares very much in common with the films of Bruno Dumont, and while it often feels like the work of a gifted filmmaker trying to recreate masterworks of the past (Dreyer and Malick, to name two), I personally didn’t feel wafts of pretension emanating off the screen (which happens in every second of every Dumont film). This felt like someone who was really trying to tap into something simple yet profound, and Reygadas damn near pulls it off and launches himself into the master-stratosphere.”–Michael Tully

“The power of the opening shot of Silent Light is apparent even to people who aren’t religious. This is because Reygadas has taken a phenomenon we all take for granted — who hasn’t seen the sun rise thousands of times? — and shown it to us in a new context.” — ScreenGrab

“The imagery of the picture is such that it reminded me of something Charlie Haden once said about his approach to playing bass, that is, he wants “every note to be beautiful.” Also, if they gave out Oscars for Best Deliberate Use of Lens Flares, this pic would win in a heartbeat.” –Glenn Kenny