I was curious to get a sense of the monastery for I had barely seen pictures of the premises.
This short film by the GreekReporter shows the lay of the land there : ALL cactuses, seemingly !
I never imagined that there were cactuses present, let alone so many. Of course, that was all that was there before the development of the Greek Archdiocese monastic institution.
Some of the larger non-church buildings [ cells ? offices ? ] give the impression of a contemporary luxury resort.
The film is weakened by the testimony of the same tiny group of monks. One wishes for input from many others to add more interest to the film. Apparently the choice was limited by the refusal of some of the 56 monks to be interviewed.
The viewer who already understands something about monasticism is left with a sense that more profound statements would have created a better impact.
The little documentary relies mainly on visuals.
Perhaps this production is primarily aimed at recruiting new novices from those in the world who are unfamiliar with Orthodoxy or monasticism. Also it affords the general viewer a travelogue account of a quick trip to St Anthony of the Desert in Arizona.