I had the opportunity to see this film thanks to the Raindance Film Festival. Keir from Strike Media also mentioned it. It premiered in the UK during the festival. The title caught my attention. I went in blindly, knowing it was a horror film and that it could be considered a 2025 film.
Synopsis: Raised in an oppressive cult, a reclusive schizophrenic discovers that the cult leaders are setting him up for a series of ritual murders and must prove his innocence by saving his next victim and destroying the evil cult.
Director: Doug Rao
Writer: Doug Rao
Stars: Stan Steinbichler, Susie Porter, Graham McTavish
This is an interesting film. It's told in four chapters, three of which are named after books of the Bible. Our protagonist is Isaac Wentworth (Stan Steinbichler). He deals with a mental disorder. He has another personality he talks to, called Frankie. This other personality is more aggressive, vulgar, and violent. Isaac has been locked away, and the higher-ups have decided he can return to the group.
He stays at the Rural Asylum for the Unfortunate. The leader is Walter (Graham McTavish). He's assisted by Verity (Susie Porter), whom I assume is his wife. They also refer to her as a pastor. They are devoutly Christian. They're from the Old Testament, as Hope (Honor Gillies), a young woman who lives there and is Isaac's friend, speaks out of turn and the local men force her to drink a jug of apple cider vinegar.
Isaac tries to escape, but an alarm on the door forces him back to his room. He's not taking his medication, so this forces him to see Dr. Chronin (Olivia Chenery). Hope wants Isaac to escape, but he's determined to decipher these dreams he's having. They're about a woman he believes is his mother. The more he investigates what's going on here, the darker the situation becomes. Time is limited, and if Isaac doesn't figure things out soon, he'll be locked away forever.
This is where I leave my summary and character introductions. I'll start by saying it has an interesting premise. I'm a big fan of movies about cults, especially those that focus on religion. With this group, we explore the fanatical side of Christianity. There are echoes of things like "The Handmaid's Tale." The plot is set in the distant future, where technology is better than today. There's also a timeless feel to how this group operates and the clothes they wear. I thought that aspect worked.
Then, I'll focus on our main character. It's a bit of a character study. Isaac never fully understands what mental illness he has. There's a good scene where he gets aggressive with Dr. Chronin when she questions him. The first ones that come to mind are paranoid schizophrenia, multiple personalities, or borderline personality disorder. It doesn't really matter which one. We just know he's talking to himself. He hallucinates where he sees this other version of himself, as well as other people who aren't there. If he gives in to Frankie, the intrusive thoughts win. I wanted to give Steinbichler credit. I think it exaggerates a bit when it loses touch with reality without going too far.
From there, let's talk about this cult. The men are given biblical names like Isaac, Peter, John, and Michael. The women have frontier-inspired names, like Hope, Grace, Mercy, and Joy, for religious people. This helps keep it from feeling like a thing of the past. They're isolated in the middle of nowhere. They have to cross forests, hills, and similar terrain. We never see anyone enter the town. Being where it is located reinforces the idea of a cult. They intentionally isolate themselves. We also see the darker elements of a cult like this, where they need to procreate to remain numerous. Not everyone is willing to accept this idea, which adds to the horror.
Next, I'll focus on the rest of the acting. As I said about Isaac/Frankie, there's a bit of overacting at times. But not enough to ruin everything. Porter comes across as an evil director. McTavish is the cult leader. Gillies is fine as this character who cares for Isaac. Knowing he struggles to fit in, she wants him to escape. On the other hand, we have Alice Lucy, Ava Merson-O'Brien, Katharina Scheuba, Ruaridh Aldington, Michael Kodi Farrow, and Nick Sankar. They round out the cast of teenagers, both male and female, who have joined the group's actions. Although I don't think they know any more. Chenery is fine as the doctor who has also joined. The rest of the cast was fine for what was needed.
Only the cinematography remains. I think it's well done. The photography and framing capture how isolated this group is. This shows us the landscapes well. They aren't necessarily dangerous, but reaching the village isn't easy either. The visual effects are limited. There were computer-generated special effects with a hallucination.
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