We are so accustomed to Hugh Grant's disheveled hair and disarming smile in lovable characters, it's disorienting and fun to see him in a darker role. In “Heretic”, Grant plays Mr. Reed, a potential convert visited by a couple of girls who are Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East). Reed starts to pose theological questions to the girls, and the night gets more and more philosophical and tense.
Written and directed by the filmmaking duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods ("A Quiet Place"), “Heretic” has its share of scares, but the movie is best when it is making us think. Mr. Reed poses increasingly provocative questions to the girls to make them examine their faith, and they give back as good as they get.
From what I know about the LDS (Mormon) Church, this film actually does a pretty good job portraying the missionaries and their experience, and the girls put up a reasonable defense of their faith. Beck and Woods reportedly did their homework to make sure they didn't paint the missionaries as a caricature. They consulted Mormon friends, and, in fact, Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East grew up in the LDS Church themselves. I doubt, though, that this will win the film any plaudits from Salt Lake City. Like every other church, the LDS Church has no sense of humor or flexibility in how its teachings are presented. You either toe the theological line, or you are … a heretic.
4 stars out of 5
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment