27/42

The final result includes the following statement: “Generation Alt was not used in the making of the film”

Scenario

Two young, religious women become involved in a game of cat and mouse in a strange man’s house. I saw seven films at this year’s TIFF and voted HERETIC starring Hugh Grant (who would also get my vote for Best Actor if it were a voting category) as Best Picture. I was really impressed when I saw him get in touch with his dark side in the HBO miniseries THE UNDOING, but here he turns it up to 11, playing a friendly psychopath obsessed with religion.

It’s a break from his schizophrenic dimension of the Romany comedy

Co-stars Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East are also excellent as two Mormon missionary girls who think to call someone interested in Mormonism. But Grant is more educated—and more questioning—about religion than expected. When they realize that he is not really after a conversion, but rather a religious debate, they try to leave, only to find that they have walked into a trap.

The result is refreshingly unusual

Thus begins a game of cat and mouse in which Grant tests their faith. As far as horror goes, it’s solid, but it doesn’t reach the extremes of similarly claustrophobic horrors like FUNNY GAMES (the original) and SPEAK NOT EVIL (the 2022 version). My only gripe is that the choice of Mormonism for a religion seems a bit calculated.

After the movie, several people complimented me on the question I asked, “Was Richard Dawkins any influence?” Co-director Bryan Woods confirmed that

In short, watch this movie if you’ve ever liked a Hugh Grant movie and want to see him at the top of his game. Not since I saw Allison Janney in I TONYA in 2017 have I felt so certain about receiving an acting Oscar nomination for a TIFF film. Check out the list of exciting new films from this year’s film festivals including Venice, TIFF, the New York Film Festival and more.