Sacred Heart (2018)
Directed by: Kosta Nikas
Written by: Kosta Nikas
Starring: David Field, Kipan Rothbury
Sacred Heart is a look into one man’s crisis of faith following the loss of his pregnant wife. Opening with a beautiful aerial shot of a massive cemetery, reminiscent of good era Tim Burton and Peter Jackson, the funeral of Robert’s wife has just finished, and we follow him as he has his faith and humanity tested. Wracked with guilt and intent on wanting someone to pay for his loss, we see him battle his own beliefs. After renouncing his faith he has a visit from the priest who buried his wife, and the conversation between the two soon turns dark.
The majority of the film is set at Robert’s home, save for a handful of external scenes and flash backs, as this is a character study into a grieving man, who has unquestionably followed Christianity his entire life, despite not being dealt the best hand. After renouncing his faith, he is coincidentally visited by his priest, with whom he also challenges both verbally and physically. It’s interesting to see the various points of view rallied back and forth between the two, and it raises fair points for both sides, without preaching either for or against to the viewer. It’s a very interesting look at the manifestation of grief and guilt, in seeing what is going on in the characters mind, to see how the guilt makes him feel responsible, and ultimately how he faces up to it.
There’s no doubting that the two leads put in very strong performances, and Robert becoming consumed with grief and guilt, and renouncing his faith is mesmerising at times. That being said, it doesn’t take things too deep, and although there are good arguments on both sides, it won’t change your opinion either way. There are moments where it perhaps gets a little absurd, compared with the tone of the rest of the film, and despite its stately pace for the most part, it finishes almost abruptly. It wouldn’t have gone amiss as a one off TV special, but the strong performance from the central cast is good enough to keep you invested.
Rating: 
Be the first to comment