PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Written and directed by debut filmmaker Kosta Nikas, Sacred Heart (2016) has been released in the US this month by Gravitas Ventures. This Australian indie drama focuses on the protagonist Robert, played by Kipan Rothbury (Hill End 2014). and the crisis of faith he has following the hit-and-run death of his pregnant wife, played by Lizzie Schebesta (Sleeping Beauty 2011). The majority of the film consists of the dialogue he has with a Catholic priest (AFI winner David Field: Chopper 2000), in which he tries to get the priest to commit or confess to a variety of sins. But could Robert’s dialogue with the priest really be a dialogue with himself as he queries the eternal question of how a loving God can let the evil people live while taking the lives of the innocent? Was Robert’s wife truly as innocent as he believed? What role did Robert himself play in the death of Lizzie? The tail end of the film twists and turns through various revelations, with Robert finally making a decision about his faith and seeking justice for his wife’s death.
The film tackles intense subject matter, and the script does not always live up to its lofty ambitions. While it seems that the dialogue with the priest presents an alternative scenario for Robert to grapple with the question of what to do about the man who hit and killed his wife, the connection is not entirely clear. The minimal number of sets used in the film, with the majority of it taking place inside Robert’s house and in the form of a dialogue between the two main characters, makes Sacred Heart more static and less visually exciting than it might otherwise be. An early sequence of Robert’s memories portrayed in photographs coming to life is, however, a poignant, visual representation of loss and memory. Overall, however, the crisis of faith issue is a huge one that has been tackled many times, and the filmmakers could have used a little bit more nuance to truly carry the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfgdH15l9lA
Sacred Heart has been available on VOD/DVD and BluRay from Gravitas Ventures since August 14.
