I have to wonder why such a talented writer as Paul Schrader, who has successfully scrutinized the psychologies of humans in his previous films and scripts, embarked on such a terrible journey with this story. To make a film takes up many years of one's life, so why waste it on such drivel? The money? Because you need a career kick start? Laziness?
This film is mainly set in East Africa and follows the 'weird' events surrounding an archaeological dig. If you took White Mischief or even Hercule Poirot, as made for ITV, and added spooky content, with dire melodramatic music and paper thin characterization, then this would be Dominion. It is Death On The Nile with a god slant.
Schrader seems lost in a story that cannot make up it's mind as to what to say. On one level, it is taking a very superficial look at colonialism in Africa and the effects of the missionaries on the indigenous population, then peppers it with a love story between the priest (Skarsgard) and a girl (Bellar) supposedly bound by the horrors of WW2, and then there is the atrocious portrayal of Africans as ignorant superstitious bush dwellers with their mouth piece being the English speaking Jomo (Aduramo) who acts as the 'black lackey' who can fill them in on what the "fuzzie wuzzies" are saying. Jesus H Christ! All set to TV drama music! It is the sort of film my great grandfather would have enjoyed, but i bet even he would have found it rather anodyne.
The opening scene set ,supposedly, in Holland with a cliché German SS execution dilemma where Father Merrin has to choose as to who will die is the motor for the film;s horror. Does God exist? if so then he would not be so cruel... But his guilt is so ham fistedly explored, that there is no tension or even desire to revisit that dilemma.
I would not even say that the film is nicely shot. Well exposed maybe, but there is no motivation behind the camera as to where it is placed, other than to push the plot forward mindlessly.
Friedkin's camera was inquisitive, curious and scared. It knew what it was looking for, as did the script. As a film maker, one has the choice to choose the moments in time, and the place with which to view events, in order to involve an audience into one's own curiosity to a story. A great film tries to understand the fragility of being human.
And we don't need bad CGI hyenas (or monkeys, Mr. Lucas - THX 1138 remastered) to put fear into our bones. The human fear is the fear of the unknown, the fear of our existence, and that is a very private and special fear that most filmmakers today are choosing to ignore. Travis Bickle could have told you that.
One day a real rain will come, and wash films like this away....
This film is mainly set in East Africa and follows the 'weird' events surrounding an archaeological dig. If you took White Mischief or even Hercule Poirot, as made for ITV, and added spooky content, with dire melodramatic music and paper thin characterization, then this would be Dominion. It is Death On The Nile with a god slant.
Schrader seems lost in a story that cannot make up it's mind as to what to say. On one level, it is taking a very superficial look at colonialism in Africa and the effects of the missionaries on the indigenous population, then peppers it with a love story between the priest (Skarsgard) and a girl (Bellar) supposedly bound by the horrors of WW2, and then there is the atrocious portrayal of Africans as ignorant superstitious bush dwellers with their mouth piece being the English speaking Jomo (Aduramo) who acts as the 'black lackey' who can fill them in on what the "fuzzie wuzzies" are saying. Jesus H Christ! All set to TV drama music! It is the sort of film my great grandfather would have enjoyed, but i bet even he would have found it rather anodyne.
The opening scene set ,supposedly, in Holland with a cliché German SS execution dilemma where Father Merrin has to choose as to who will die is the motor for the film;s horror. Does God exist? if so then he would not be so cruel... But his guilt is so ham fistedly explored, that there is no tension or even desire to revisit that dilemma.
I would not even say that the film is nicely shot. Well exposed maybe, but there is no motivation behind the camera as to where it is placed, other than to push the plot forward mindlessly.
Friedkin's camera was inquisitive, curious and scared. It knew what it was looking for, as did the script. As a film maker, one has the choice to choose the moments in time, and the place with which to view events, in order to involve an audience into one's own curiosity to a story. A great film tries to understand the fragility of being human.
And we don't need bad CGI hyenas (or monkeys, Mr. Lucas - THX 1138 remastered) to put fear into our bones. The human fear is the fear of the unknown, the fear of our existence, and that is a very private and special fear that most filmmakers today are choosing to ignore. Travis Bickle could have told you that.
One day a real rain will come, and wash films like this away....