I am by no means a religious person. I have, however, had a strange fascination with possessions, exorcisms, and Catholic symbolism. The idea of a holy man with a collar, a Bible, and a rosary as the ultimate warrior against evil always seemed to pique my curiosity. What I got with The Righteous was anything but interesting.
It’s hard to place The Righteous with a similar movie. You either have movies like The Rite or The Exorcist dealing with demon possession and the process of saving a poor victim from the forces of evil, or on the other side you have something like The Order with Heath Ledger, whose character is learning about the Sin Eater, falling in love, and leaving the church after seeing the politics in action. The Righteous doesn’t seem to fit anywhere in this to me. We start it off with what appears to be a priest talking with another priest. We find out that Henry Czerny’s character left the priesthood in favor of love and an adopted child. Again, this entire movie is in black and white from the very beginning. When he gets home, you meet his wife. You never really find out what happened to their daughter, but it is hinted at. In comes Aaron.
Aaron shows up in the middle of the night injured, in pain, and lying in the backyard. The fact that the house is in the middle of nowhere in the wood’s adds more questions. Why is Aaron there? Who is Aaron? Is there a connection? Suspicions grow as things progress with the older couple taking a liking to Aaron. This is one of those details you kind of see coming. In this style movie, when things seem too good to be true, it usually is.
I want to be able to tell you that there wasn’t very much in the line of flaws with this. I wanted to be able to say we had another classic on our hands that blew my mind. The story just prevented it from happening. Seeing a movie like this, you know that lots of people put in time and energy to do their best. You can see it in what was turned out. It just missed the mark in a manner that couldn’t hold your attention for more than a few minutes and seemed more like punishment than entertainment.
Again, I usually like this sort of movie. However, in this case, it fell victim to what a lot of slow burn films do the worst, which is hold your attention. Nothing really goes on in the movie. Nothing happens to keep you drawn in and engaged. I found myself looking at my watch and wondering how much was left to get through it. It’s a shame since I typically enjoy these kinds of questioning faith kind of movies. With the route that was taken and the choices that were made, I expected something far more dramatic and possibly even creepy. Instead what I was left with was a slow movie that seemed more like an attempt at making a strange supernatural version of My Dinner With Andre than a gradual build to a gratifying end.
Rorschach Rating:
Mental Health Moment: The Righteous revolves around a family’s grief and later guilt for their past decisions. It seems to be a common trap to get stuck in the past and the regret that can come from those decisions and actions. It’s easier to get stuck than a lot want to admit. Finding the lesson in those past decisions and not making those mistakes again can only lead to making you stronger as a person and not repeating the past. It may be giving a different answer or choosing a different path to life’s choice. Either way these things can shape and mold you for the better if you don’t allow them to take over your present.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. The Righteous is property of Vortex Media. We do not own nor claim any rights.
You can now support us on Patreon. Help us get mental health resources into schools and get exclusive content at the same time. Click here to join today!