- Directed by Mark O’Brien
- Written by Mark O’Brien
- Stars Henry Czerny, Mark O’Brien, Mayko Nguyen
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 37 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBFpwR9UjWM
Ready or Not‘s Mark O’Brien Makes Directorial Debut
With Holy Terror Film The Righteous
Starring O’Brien, Henry Czerny & Mimi Kuzyk
Chiller Set for June 10th Release
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
Powerful performances, an intriguing script, and excellent cinematography make for a really good movie. It moves slowly and builds nicely. Definitely one worth checking out.
From the publisher: The Righteous tells the story of Frederic (Henry Czerny) a grieving man struggling with his faith, who helps an injured young man, Aaron Smith (Mark O’Brien) who stumbles onto his property one night, claiming to be lost in the woods. Frederic and his wife (Mimi Kuzyk) invite the man to stay for the night, but Frederic soon begins to have doubts about this enigmatic stranger’s story – and his motives for being there. When Aaron asks Frederic to commit an unspeakable deed, it becomes clear that the man is not who he seems, and has been sent to test the very limits of Frederic’s existence.
Spoilery Synopsis
Note: This film has not yet been released at the time of this writing. Be warned that FULL SPOILERS follow. Go. No. Further– at least until you’ve seen it!
Frederic Mason prays for justice. We cut to a funeral, where Frederic and his wife, Ethel have lost their daughter. The old priest Graham talks to Frederic about moving so far away from everyone; twelve miles. Frederic also has mental lapses that concern the old priest. He wonders if Frederic has reconsidered quitting as a priest himself; he could go back to it.
At home, Frederic prays some more, and Ethel looks on a little disdainfully. Doris stops by to give her condolences, and she’s a scatterbrained chatterbox. Doris asks if Ethel ever told the girl that she was her real mother. This starts a whole new wave of grief for Ethel. Frederic nails the daughter’s door shut.
Frederic hears a scream outside. He takes a knife from the kitchen and goes outside looking for the source. A young man staggers up and falls down. He’s got a sprained or injured foot, but he can’t explain his foot. Frederic gets some first-aid stuff and goes back out to help the guy, who has since passed out. Frederic and Ethel carry him inside and fix him up.
Mary stops by; she’s the police for the area. Frederic makes up a convoluted story about the boy being his nephew. Ethel wants the guy to leave, but Frederic wants to “keep him.” His name is Aaron, and his story doesn’t really hold up. He’s not fooling anyone, but they let him stay the night anyway.
Frederic and Aaron talk about things. Aaron is a good listener and an even better storyteller. They talk until Aaron passes out again.
Frederic wakes up in the morning to find Ethel and Aaron singing in the kitchen. Ethel is now all in on keeping Aaron in the house; a total reversal. Frederic mentions that he’s been having his memory lapses for the past twenty years, ever since they moved from up north. After a very short while, they’re both happy to have Aaron there.
Out of the blue, Aaron tells Frederic that he wants Frederic to kill him. If he doesn’t, Aaron says he’ll take Ethel with him. This is Frederic’s punishment. Frederic says he needs to leave now, but Aaron passes out once again, eliciting sympathy from Ethel. Things get weird after that. Aaron says he’s trying to save himself as much as Frederic and Ethel.
Aaron really does want to die. He says he was forced to kill their daughter on her bicycle. He thinks he was possessed. He reaches over to a flower, and it wilts immediately. They argue dramatically.
Turns out, twenty years ago, Frederic raped a woman who kept it quiet. Later, the woman died in childbirth, and Frederic ran away to another clergy. Aaron says he is that son, and Frederic actually prayed for justice during one of his lapses. This is the justice Frederic prayed for; this is his penance. Aaron insists that Frederic kill him.
Frederic goes to see Graham at the church, and they discuss sins. Graham suggests that Frederic’s conscience is causing all this. Maybe.
When he returns home, Ethel informs him that Aaron will be moving into their daughter’s room. He’s not leaving.
Frederic apologizes for leaving Aaron all those years ago. He apologizes for leading his mother along and using her. He’s not, however, willing to compound his sins by murdering Aaron.
Doris drops by again. She talks to Frederic about her nightmares. She feels like she let them down with her weakness, so she asks him for a blessing. When Frederic goes to look for his Bible, Aaron hurts Doris badly. Aaron admits to Ethel that he did it; he reveals everything about Frederic to her. Aaron ramps up the pressure until Frederic finally does stab him.
The police arrive, and officer Mary approaches Frederic. Frederic sees fireballs falling from the sky right toward him.
Commentary
It’s all filmed in black and white to accentuate the moodiness and old-fashioned feeling of the film. There are some good sets and scenery, and the cinematography is quite good. It’s very much like a stage play, there’s never more than three people on screen at one time. Things develop slowly, but even with a bit of explanation in the middle, it’s not clear how it’s all going to end.
It’s about guilt, and faith, and sick, twisted justice.