OCTOBER 27, 2014 2:25PM
The Sheep are Running Scared Tonight
THE SACRAMENT
Released: May 1, 2014
Director: Ti West
Writers: Ti West
Notable Cast: Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen, Kentucker Audley, Amy Seimetz, Gene Jones
Plot: A newsteam trails a man as he travels to an undisclosed location to find his missing sister. Upon entering "Eden Parish" and meeting the community's leader, it becomes apparent to the newcomers that this paradise may not be as it seems. (source: imdb)
Commentary: The Sacrament is a note for note fictionalized retelling of the 1979 mass suicide at The People's Temple in Jonestown, Guyana, set in contemporary times. You may find more value watching a documentary on the subject, or reading Tim Reitman's Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People.
But that's not to say it's a bad movie. The filming, sets and general atmosphere were impressive. Ti West clearly knows how to build a thriller.
The hapless sad sack hipster newsteam (Jake and Sam), plus the guy trying to get his sister out (Patrick), pissed me off to some extent, but you do become invested in their fight for survival and their desire to help the Eden's Parish cult members.
Patrick's sister Caroline was played by beautiful Amy Seimetz. She did her job perfectly, bringing on the sweet genuine charm, the utter faith in "Father" (the Jim Jones figure of the movie), and ultimately demonstrating how damaging her brainwashing was.
But Gene Jones is without a doubt the reason to watch this one. As Father, he perfectly captures the demonic charisma and absolute power of Jim Jones. I never saw the TV movie Guyana Tragedy, but was always struck by how much Powers Boothe looked like Jones:
Despite lack of physical resemblance, Gene Jones will make you forget all about that.
As I said, this the story of the People's Temple down to the last detail, and if you're interested it may be more worthwhile to read or watch documentaries about the real thing. The Sacrament is a solid enough found-footage cult survival horror thriller.
I think ultimately it was a missed opportunity for West and his colleagues to create a new and more contemporary examination of what cults, brainwashing, religious faith, politics and media mean for people today, not in the 1970's.
What We're Afraid Of: I'm very familiar with the story of the People's Temple. I wrote a paper in an anthropology class, with a careful study of how speech and rhetoric (of which Jim Jones was an undisputed master) led to acceptance of Jim Jones's "revolutionary suicide."
I had very vivid sick nightmares all throughout that semester. Me, who has absorbed all kinds of trashy horror cinema and nightmarish imagery, found myself profoundly disturbed and affected.
And in watching The Sanctuary, that feeling returned. When you witness what a parent can do under the direction of a cult, how can you not?
I can't locate an essay by Alan Moore that talks about how Victorian horror stories wrap death and uncertainty up in thrilling, aesthetically pleasing comfort. That sounds right. A monster movie, even a gross gory slasher or zombie film, are fantasies that obfuscate the tangible horror that exists in our own world.
What are we afraid of? Economic anxiety is here, and it helped Father ensnare his flock from a radical left wing perspective, just as Jim Jones did. A sizeable black community in Eden Parish were reacting to racism and economic inequality, also as in Jonestown. Even priviliged "wealthy Upper West Side" Caroline had her own issues with economic anxiety - and drugs.
Then there's the media. How a news narrative is shaped creates a lot of anxiety in different camps. The people who suffer through representation by a distorted lens, or journalists and filmmakers who are reviled or persecuted for their work, or public reaction to events in the media - this is very much a powerful modern anxiety.
Perhaps Ti West did do a proper job after all.
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Comments
Always had a place in my heart for Concrete Blonde love Napolitano's vocals!! R&R ;-)
Indeed jmac, she's a powerful singer and songwriter.
Gary, I wonder how such
a cult would do in the Internet/mobile data era? Would it succeed in
gaining followers or would it blow up into disaster even quicker?
Thanks for this. I'll give it a look.
Another good review, Chiller.
/r.
/r.
Thanks Dandy & OIT for reading.
Hey, I'd like to read that anthropology class paper (make it an entry sometime).
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