The Righteous

Black & white was a great choice for the look of it. From the acting to the writing to the direction everything worked in this production that had an Alfred Hitchcock vibe to it. The story gets muddled a little bit here & there, but everything else worked so well that I didn't care.

1) I believe that this movie is more like a religious experience than a story about loss and guilt. I don't think it is ambiguous, there is only one explanation. In any case, regardless if i am right or wrong, there are many layers here, Existentialism, Metaphysics, God and, simultaneously, the absence of God. Pick your poison.

2) This is a psychological/dialogue driven drama with mystery and horror elements. If you are looking for mindless fun/gore/people killing each other, you will not like it. You will probably don't like it either if you are under 25 years old or if you don't like movies with religious tone. Filmed in black and white, there are many intense and thrilling moments if you are into this kind of movies. Actors and actresses are excellent, cinematography too.

3) I can understand why the ending is polarizing. I found it great, it's a great and appropriate ending for this movie.

It's not a flawless movie, i would prefer it longer, 90 plus minutes aren't enough for this story to be told and unfold. Some scenes ended abruptly while it was getting interesting. But, overall, it was very interesting and most importantly, somewhat original. I wish other directors can be so bold and courageous in this genre, down the road.

THE RIGHTEOUS is a 2021 noire style psychological thriller from writer/director Mark O'Brien. This full length directorial debut had its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2021, winning the Cheval Noir and Silver Award. THE RIGHTEOUS earned some positive buzz among critics during its festival run. I was granted an opportunity to watch the film for myself, and while most of my feelings for THE RIGHTEOUS are positive, I do have some gripes with it. Particularly towards the ending and shifty tone.

THE RIGHTEOUS tells the story of Frederic (Henry Czerny), a grieving man who's struggling with his faith after he and his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk) experience a tragic loss. One night, the couple hears strange noises outside of their home. There's an injured young man named Aaron (Mark O'Brien) laying on the floor begging for their help. Frederic and Ethel tend to the Aaron's injury and invite him into their home for the night. As time passes, Frederic begins to have doubts about Aaron's story, resulting in what feels to be the wrath of a vengeful god.

What sold me on THE RIGHTEOUS from watching the trailer was the fact that it's entirely in black and white. You don't see that too often with new movies. Especially ones that fit into the "horror" category. It's a bold and risky move, making THE RIGHTEOUS different from your average release. This film feels like a throwback piece; sort of paying tribute to the thrillers of the 60's and 70's. THE RIGHTEOUS wears its inspirations on its sleeve, and I'm willing to bet that it has to do with Mark O'Brien's love for cinema.

THE RIGHTEOUS feels old fashioned, and the lack of color sells that concept. From a technical standpoint, this film is incredible. THE RIGHTEOUS makes great use of black and white with excellent cinematography. The visuals are absolutely gorgeous. With the nature of what takes place in the film, I do wonder if having it in black and white was the original intent. The overall plot is simple enough to digest. However, the places it takes you do become confusing. THE RIGHTEOUS is a character driven movie that focuses on a small cast of actors. It's heavy on dialog and builds tension for some of its 97 minute runtime.

The film purposely throws you off by changing the tone throughout. It'll go from one dread building scene to a moment of laughter and bonding between two characters. Some of it comes off as a morality play, even while its dark and dreary score puts you on edge. The tension buildup works a little too well. There were moments in THE RIGHTEOUS that got under my skin. This in large part is due to the incredible performances. THE RIGHTEOUS feels like a master class in acting. The entire cast does a tremendous job with their roles.

Henry Czerny is absolutely phenomenal as the lead character (Frederic); even if you do question some of Frederic's odd actions. You may also recognize Henry from the film READY OR NOT alongside Mark O'Brien. The conversations between Frederic and Aaron (O'Brien) are the heart and soul of this movie. The chemistry between the two lead actors is great. When you add in the performances of Mayko Nguyen, Mimi Kuzyk, Kate Corbett and Nigel Bennett, you can't help but be invested in the story.

THE RIGHTEOUS touches on topics of religion, guilt, loss and deception. It's marketed as a noire horror thriller, but there isn't enough of those elements for me to put this into the "horror" category. It's mostly a drama that focuses on building dread. There are some dark moments of violence in the film, but it's certainly not the main focus. As unsettling as the death scenes were, it was the buildup to the violence that made it work. THE RIGHTEOUS focuses more on uneasy dread and suspense rather than brutal violence. This is most noticeable with the interactions between the characters. The endgame begins to make sense once some truths are revealed in the story.

The elements of "horror" in THE RIGHTEOUS are so few and far between. The elements that are present work very well (for the most part). At times, THE RIGHTEOUS pulls you into a false sense of security. You'll encounter a few "jump scares" just when you think it's safe. These unexpected scary moments might take you out of the film. It did for me, and my interest in the story was beginning to fade towards the end. The plot takes a bizarre turn, and for whatever reason there's a supernatural element thrown in. It got to a point where I was beginning to wonder if what I was watching on-screen was actually happening. It doesn't help when the film decides to time jump after having one of those "scary" moments.

What works most with THE RIGHTEOUS is the acting. Writer/Director Mark O'Brien works as an actor for movies and television. You may remember him most from such mainstream genre films like ARRIVAL and READY OR NOT (as mentioned with Henry Czerny) . Most of O'Brien's directing experience comes from television and some award winning short films. THE RIGHTEOUS is Mark O'Brien's full length feature film debut. This is an amazing achievement, and with this film it's clear that O'Brien knows what he's doing both in front of and behind the camera.

Where THE RIGHTEOUS falls short for me is with the ending. Without giving anything away, I will say that the film's climax left me with more questions than answers. I compare this ending to that of DONNIE DARKO. I think the intention was to let the audience interpret what the biblical ending means. Despite its shortcomings, that last half hour didn't ruin my overall experience with the movie. THE RIGHTEOUS is a gorgeous looking pre-pandemic film that should be watched. If you're into slow burn black and white thrillers, this one might answer your prayers.

THE RIGHTEOUS is set to be released through Arrow Films on June 10th, with a digital release in the UK, US and Eire on ARROW (the brand's SVOD service). Although I had a pleasant time watching the movie for myself, I highly recommend that you (the reader) watch the trailer before diving in. As with every movie ever made, THE RIGHTEOUS isn't going to be for everyone. It's a well crafted thriller that does a tremendous job of building tension. For that alone it's worth the price of admission; I just don't see myself going for rewatch it anytime soon.

I give THE RIGHTEOUS: 7 out of 10 vengeful gods.

Highly recommended masterpiece. Perfect acting, direction, camera work, editing, soundtrack... Just enough character depth is revealed to turn out believable characters and to move the plot forward.

The script is really good and the director makes a great job of unfolding it on screen, although this is certainly easier when writer and director are the same person.

Camera work and editing support direction perfectly, and although this is a slow-paced movie, you can feel the tension mounting and you are never bored. The soundtrack is a major in that.

This is an intense drama-mistery-thriller that challenges your mind and expectations.

Even the ending leaves you wondering, although this isn't one of those open-ended movies. Some directors get to the end of a movie and just don't know how to wrap things up: that is NOT the case here. What you are shown here is a man's spiritual and emotional world unravelling around him and the ending is the culmination of this unravelling.

Interesting Indie movie, shot god knows where. Maybe in Pennsylvania where maestro M. Night shoots his films. Well this amazing film (shot in BW) reminded me of Bergman and Woody Allen (go figure). Overall I loved the feel of this film and it's signature acting by the four main leads. Frederick, Aaron, Ethel plus 1. I love the camera work, the various shots, the starkness of a Pennsylvania forest; the POC police woman. Bubbling anticipation to see what developes. Hallelujah. Well, all of the characters were very interesting but I don't want to put any spoilers here. The movie cost me two dollars on YouTube and it was worth it because I love in the films and I love the black-and-white aspect of these films and the dialogue was really good.