The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival had several running themes across various films. We saw education show up in Poetic License and Bad Apples. Great child performances in Hamnet, Rental Family, and, once again, Bad Apples. Even volcanoes got a lot of play in the two films featuring Charli XCX, Erupcja, and Sacrifice. The theme I picked up on the most, however, was religion, specifically the portrayals of Christians in The Testament of Ann Lee and Wake Up Dead Man. 

Oftentimes in the world of movies, religious people are portrayed as idiotic, evil, or both. This is for good reason. A lot of religious leaders, especially within Christianity, have done more than their fair share of harm in this world. These two movies from TIFF take a different approach.

The Testament of Ann Lee, directed by Mona Fastvold, tells the story of the titular leader of the Shaker Movement. Amanda Seyfried magnificently portrays “Mother Ann” as a woman of conviction and a true spiritual visionary. She and her followers take the Quaker beliefs and take things a couple of steps further, with full-on song and dance as part of the package. Ann Lee’s musical elements implement Shaker hymns, and the songs are primarily depictions of worship rather than characters spontaneously singing throughout the film.

This film’s approach to Christianity and the life of a Christian leader is surprisingly distant and matter-of-fact, opting more for broad strokes of Ann’s life rather than a searing, intimate portrait of her innermost life. This may seem strange for a biopic, but it’s not too dissimilar from how the Bible talks about its central figure, Jesus. 

When you look at the Gospels, the eyewitness accounts of Jesus are told at a similar distance. From an objective lens, we can only infer his motivations behind his words and actions, which have led to many theologian spins over the last couple of thousand years. The same is true of Ann in the film. She’s not presented as having an ulterior motive for her new movement, just that she is convinced in her heart of hearts that this is the right thing to do. 

Contrasted with this aerial view of a religious figure is Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man. The third installment of the Benoit Blanc murder mystery franchise prominently features religion, this time with a focus on the Catholic tradition. The mystery centers on a small church community where Father Jud (Josh O’Connor) has recently been reassigned after an altercation with another priest. 

It’s hard to get into too much with Dead Man due to the spoilerific nature of murder mysteries, so I’ll speak broadly. The cast of characters assembled in this movie covers a lot of the spectrum of folks you might find in an American church. Members who have been there so long that they know every secret about everyone in town. An aspiring politician and influencer who uses the church for personal gain. A priest who gets in the pulpit to spout off a personal agenda of fear and shame. A young person looking for healing after a tragedy. Most importantly, we see a priest who, while not always getting it right, is doing his best.

Johnson certainly gets his jabs against religion in, primarily through Blanc (Daniel Craig) as the forever student of logic and rational thinking. Despite these comments and quips throughout the film, Wake Up Dead Man paints a messy yet beautiful picture of the Christian faith in action. Unconditional love, unrelenting grace, and compassionate care for others despite their annoying and downright wicked actions all walk hand in hand here in a way I haven’t seen on screen before. 

The Testament of Ann Lee and Wake Up Dead Man are strong contenders to enter the pantheon of mainstream films not made by people of faith that present Christianity with nuance and sincerity, rather than being used as the butt of a joke or the embodiment of all that’s wrong in the world. They’re reminiscent of recent films like First Reformed (2017), Calvary (2014), and Silence (2016) that have taken complex stories interwoven with faith and made a lasting impact on many filmgoers. 

I am obviously coming at this from a specific worldview, but my hope in bringing attention to these films is to show that films about the intricacies of religion can still be made today and are as relevant as ever. Wake Up Dead Man presents itself as another big-budget murder mystery, only to weave in genuine empathy and beauty that comes with faith. Ann Lee’s powerful look at a female-led religious movement is inspiring, and I hope many other religions and traditions can see a similar kind of representation on screen. 

Editorial Courtesy of Cameron K. Ritter

Feature Image Courtesy of TIFF