I've always been fascinated by Roger Ebert's review of a commonly derided film, Paul Schrader's Dominion: An Exorcist Prequel (Re-cut below The Exorcist: The Beginning (for a mainstream audience). It is strange to see a writer receive such praise (cabby) and the director (American Gigolo) The fifth installment in the horror franchise, but Schrader gave it his best shot. exorcist This has been one of Ebert's most interesting films since its original release for a simple reason: the critic says the film “offers something risky and bold in this age of boring horror movies: it takes evil seriously.” Dominion It comes to my mind after watching the new horror drama Here thenAnd for good reason.
Everett continues his review of Dominion“There are indeed dark, demonic forces in Schrader’s version, which deals with a priest forever scarred by the Holocaust and asking if he can ever trust in God’s grace again… It also has spiritual weight and texture, boldly confronting the possibility that Satan is active in the world.” This is also what makes Here then This is a very important and very compelling film—it takes its supernatural subject seriously, both theologically and emotionally. It is a film that is wholly committed to the religious register, and this specificity makes its universal themes of guilt and forgiveness all the more powerful. In a sense, it is a Catholic variation on Schrader’s Calvinism.
Enough of this nonsense, though – Here then A powerful short film that takes its subject very seriously and makes great use of it. Connie Britton was wonderful as Claire.A lonely American woman in Rome struggles to create a great future for her daughter. Both women are deeply scarred by a mysterious event in their past, and when Claire's daughter miraculously recovers from a near-death experience, those scars seem to manifest in terrifying ways. Here then Not perfect but like DominionIt is a memorable film because of how closely the film adheres to its spiritual theme.
A woman gets her daughter back—or doesn't she?
Something happened years ago to Claire and her daughter Robin (Freya Hannan-Mills), Something is hiding beneath the surface. Here thenwhich contributed to Claire's divorce from Robin's Italian father, and led to Robin's language problems. She is not biologically deaf or mute, but she stopped speaking early in life and never recovered; she uses American Sign Language and plays the piano silently, hoping to become a great musician. Claire and Robin are very close; they live together, and Claire is a teacher at Robin's school. They are survivors with little connection to the past.
When Robin is involved in a terrible accident, it seems she is headed for heaven. The time until she is medically dead grows longer and longer as Claire clutches her rosary beads in the hospital chapel, praying fervently to the large crucifix hanging on the wall. Religion has been a source of comfort to Claire, and here it seems to bring her compassion – Not only did Robin recover (and without brain damage), she regained her ability to speak.. Thank God.
However, it seems that soon The spirit who returned from the afterlife is darker, more cruel, and more alien than the Robin her parents knew.Claire loses interest in school and playing the piano; grows pale, says horrible things; and becomes obsessed with dead or dying birds. Claire turns to religion to save Robin, and does the same to counter the girl's fearsome nature. Is an exorcism warranted? Can a priest help? Can prayer help?
The wonderful Connie Britton and the wonderful Catholic icons
What actually ends up happening in Here then The film is best left unspoiled, but suffice it to say that the only way out is through it. Claire joins a fascinating local group of people who have had near-death experiences or know someone who has, and develops an intellectual relationship with its leader, Dr. Ben (Tommaso Basile). This finally gives Claire (and Connie Britton and the film) an open dialogue, and leads to some interesting ideas down the road. The first chapter is rather long..
Here then The film gets better and better as Claire's past is revealed, and the film delves deeper into its spiritual exploration. Catholic icons and symbolic details The film connects the dots throughout the film, including images of baptism, ideas of stigma and crucifixion, Catholic notions of repression and guilt, and deep spiritual themes of suffering and forgiveness. Ultimately, Connie Britton convinces you that this is not just a matter of life and death, but a matter of life and death as well..
Robert Salerno guides us to a deeply emotional ending.
Director Robert Salerno does a wonderful job in his feature film debut, Its meaningful ideas, beautiful Roman visuals (from cinematographer Bartosz Nalázek), and intense soundtrack (a perfect piece by Fabrizio Mancinelli) lead to a stunning ending that will take your breath away and maybe even trigger a few tears.
He loves Dominion And Paul Schrader, Here then This may seem like an odd film for Salerno. He is a producer who has worked with great directors on some of the best films of the past 25 years — 21 grams, single man, we need to talk about Kevin, I'm thinking of ending things, smileA small film of this type, with an almost entirely Italian cast and crew, feels a bit “outside” of Salerno, yet it brings enough passion and curiosity to the project, with Breton’s brilliant performance (and Sarah Conradt’s well-structured script), Here then It becomes one of the best horror movies of the year. Here then The film will be released in select theaters and digitally on September 13.
