Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: ACOLYTE [Dances With Films NY - New York, New York]

The essence of movies involving cults depends on the ferocity of the ideals being shown. With "Acolyte", the one true midnight playing movie at DWF NY this year, its beginning promises a certain visceral edge...which sometimes one gets at Sundance with their midnight films. After the prologue (which this reviewer swears he saw in another movie -- or at least a very similar scene), the film shifts to showing Kai (Cameron Tubbs -- who also directs) returning from Alaska after leaving Appalachia because of a traumatic experience that he never quite explains at the inset. He is brought home when a neighbor informs him that his mom had died after an illness. His brother Russell (Matt Kiesling) had stayed behind but there is an inherent problem with him which is left a mystery for most of the first half of the film. The misdirect of that works very well in terms of building tension. The performances though come off a bit performative which can happen when everyone in the cast is wearing many different hats. K. Bevin Ayers who plays Samantha Ward and is also a producer ends up being the beating heart of the film. She keeps it moving though it is Kai's story ultimately that needs to be fulfilled. The aspect of the story reflects in the context of the chosen reentering the world after certain vessels are prepped.

The movie is a metaphor, both literally and figuratively, on the context of abuse. While Kai is the more damaged in a certain way, Kiesling really deconstructs himself almost to a fault of a brother that felt abandoned by his older sibling when all he needed was protection. The flashback eventually seen, as brutal as it is, does add credence to everything they have been through. The centerpiece of the film is definitely one home invasion sequence which uses a functional 360 set to pull off the scene in what is not an easy shot. That really gets the story moving though the geography of how it needs to progress after that really does requires more clarity. It is during this bit that Byer gets her Sarah Connor on but the reverse of the motivations of the so-called attackers are a little weak when they are unmasked, especially with such heavy material. Like "Hellboy" there is a price to be paid but it would have been nice to get a little more exposition with the lore of the mythology. It speaks of rebirth but not the actual revelation of it. Ultimately it comes down to a sense of protection, where a God watches over the hills and mountains of this area but the reality is that the damage it had wrought to get to that point has already been done. "Acolyte" functions on a good idea with a couple good characters (especially Sam) but, with some weak and some very strong performances, there is an uneven quality to the proceedings even if it tries to tell an effective story. B-

By Tim Wassberg