A minister with a failing flock turns toward darker means in order to help him have his congrgation return. It works for a while but the cost and escalating demands make him question if it is worth it.
This is not a horror film. There may be a supernatural and surreal element to the film, but the film is actually an examination of things closer to home such as spirituality and the things we will do in order to get ahead. I say that up front because horror fans maybe tempted to see the film because of its supernatural element.
Then again the film might be considered an attempt to make a horror film in the style of Bresson or Ozu, though I suspect that both of those directors would never attempt something like this. They are not from a society where spirits walk like this. In that sense writer director Ique Langa is operating entirely with in his own territory.
This is a masterful and beautiful film. Its a film that has a great deal to say or at least ponder. It's a film that is one of the better films I have seen for this year's New Directors New Films because it's one oe og the few films that feels more than just an intellectual or artistic exercise. There is a sense of a it coming from a life lived.
At the same time the film is not for all audiences. Paced at the speed of life or perhaps a bit slower, this is a film that is operating in the realm of slow cinema . While I know that the are are people who like this sort of thing, the film echos the previously Ozu and Bresson, it isn't, like those directors, not for everyone. I liked the film but the pacing kept me from loving it.
Recommended for fans of thoughtful slow cinema
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