What do you believe in? What faith do you identify with? These questions are broad, they open discussions and they constantly cause debate every day all over the world. Faith and religion are subjects which are extremely personal to everyone across the globe, and cinema has explored faith in a variety of different ways. Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and so many more are highly recognised and respected, and each one has their own beliefs and identities. The film Heretic explores a lot of questions surrounding faith and religion and attempts to deconstruct everything within a horror thriller setting.
The enticing premise for Heretic is simple, two Mormon girls, Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, played brilliantly by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, arrive on the doorstep of an Englishman’s house. Both these disciples attempt to convert Mr Reed, played with horrifying glee by Hugh Grant, but it turns out he is a heretic. Not only does he wants to understand religion and why people believe in different ones, but he also wants to know, why! He keeps both girls in his house after luring them inside and only allows them to leave if they listen to his ideals and philosophies and then must choose whether they still believe in a God or not.
The concept is simple and brilliant. The majority of the film is set inside Mr Reed’s almost maze-like house. There are some shots and edits in the film that really immerse you within the film, and despite the closed setting it feels like a bigger film with its even bigger themes. The writing is impeccable, as one might say, and Hugh Grant relishes working with the script he’s got. He hammers down the points of iterations, and religions copying each other. The horror on the girls faces throughout the film creates a sense of tension and uneasiness, something that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. You feel what they feel, and with Mr Reed’s unpredictable nature, you just don’t know what is going to happen next. Heretic is full of twists and turns, with each one deepening the questions that Mr Reed asks. Miracles, faith, the afterlife, everything is deconstructed and analysed meticulously in devilish detail.
There’s not a lot of downsides to the film apart from two points. There are parts of the film where an Elder is looking for the girls which doesn’t really get resolved and only is there to highlight the urgency of the situation, which it does but it feels a little unnecessary and feels like a last minute addition to the film. The ending too could have been left more open, after a big philosophical dive into faith you would have thought the film would leave with a sense of mystery but sadly it doesn’t. The ending does delve more into the horror genre but apart from that the only horror aspects is caused from the tense scenes where you don’t know if the girls will make it out of Mr Reed’s house alive or not.
★★★★☆
4/5
Final Verdict:
Heretic is ambitious in its ideas and it does deliver some truly inspiring and thought provoking questions about believing in something that has flaws. Hugh Grant delivers a performance unlike anything else, and his delivery and acting creates a sense of unreliability and deception, as you are not completely sure of his motivations or endgame. Heretic surrounds itself in mystery and deciphering key themes surrounding religion. It is unlike any other film and you will leave the film with all these heavy questions weighing on yourself too. Heretic is a film you will not forget about anytime soon.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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