Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes are two young women missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as Mormons. Posted in a small mountain town in Colorado, they ring the homes of people who have expressed interest in learning more about this religion. This is how they arrive, just before a snowstorm, at the home of a certain Mr. Reed. At first glance, a charming middle-aged gentleman, outgoing and exquisitely polite. But the two visitors quickly discover that their host is not what he seems, and that leaving his house will not be easy…
Terror can arise from perfectly innocuous elements. This is what “Heretic” skillfully proves which, only with its setting, its increasingly incisive dialogues, and a main male character nevertheless multiplying kind words and big smiles, manages in a few minutes to establish a heavy, oppressive climate , anxiety-provoking. Even if violent, even gory, scenes occur at the end of the plot, it is well and truly before the film traps us and deploys its major strengths.
Its success rests largely on the shoulders of Hugh Grant, who here occupies a masterful counter-job. The nice English gentleman from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” (1994) or “Love at First Sight in Notting Hill” (1999), now 64 years old and accumulating unexpected roles (for example, crooked and cowardly magician in “Dungeons”) and dragons” of 2023), manages here to use his legendary smile and his aristocratic diction to frighten. His anthology villain, capable of thrilling with his religious erudition and his encyclopedic knowledge, including the history of the game Monopoly or the accusations of plagiarism brought against the rock group Radiohead by the Hollies, a band from the 1960s, will remain for a long time in memories.
The writer-director duo, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, admit to having had the idea of hiring the British actor since his performance in the cult film “Cloud Atlas” (2012). It is fortunate that the Americans clung to this idea, they whose film was not necessarily impatiently awaited. Because their journey turns out to be contrasting to say the least: after a major success for which they had written the screenplay, “Sans un noise”, in 2018, they then made two missteps, the production of the catastrophic “65: La Terre d’ before” (2023), then the script of the medium “Bogeyman” (2023), although adapted from Stephen King.
This last feature film will not have been useless, however, since it is undoubtedly there that they were convinced by the actress Sophie Thatcher, sister Barnes in “Heretic”, who forms with Chloe East (“The Fabelmans” ), a stunning duo trying to stand up to Mr. Reed/Hugh Grant. Because the two young women are not as innocent as one might believe, the directors taking pleasure in regularly taking the viewer against the grain and playing, both in defense and in defense, on clichés linked to religions.
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