Set in the year 2046, a powerful gang lord assembles a group of religious leaders, demanding to know what it takes to be a true messiah. Meanwhile, lying imprisoned in a garage somewhere nearby is a man who claims to be the son of God. But is this really the messiah everyone was waiting for? Such is the Andorran short film, 'Don't Take The Name Of God In Vain', which, in the very beginning, claims to be "Dedicated to those who died in the name of a god, even though his name was never spoken." The effort is based on the 1984 sci-fi novel 'The Branch' by Mike Resnick, something I have yet to read and therefore am judging the film purely on its own merits.
The storyline is certainly an interesting one, and the premise asks questions some of the more credulous among us would do well to ponder. However, even at just 32 minutes, the execution is about 10 minutes too long and cheaply melodramatic. With a subject matter such as this, it certainly ought to be stirring. The script as executed feels slightly 'Dan Brown' - excessively didactic without ringing true. The first half of the film is quite literally a group of two-dimensional stereotypes arguing about the qualities of a messiah, and it's not until 20 minutes in that we finally see what the fuss is really about. It might have been better as a two-hander between the man who calls himself divine and the one persecuting him, through which his claim to holy fame is slowly revealed. Pau Baredo as the chief antagonist is definitely reaching for the OTT trophy, when a more controlled performance would have been far more effective, although the rest of the cast are just as willing to yell into the microphone. It's fairly apparent that all involved are meant to be caricatures, but this is a story demanding of greater subtlety. On the plus side, director Josep Guirao knows his financial limits and makes good use of low lighting and simple props.
Nonetheless, while the Catalan commentary on the Second Coming may lack finesse, 'Don't Take The Name Of God In Vain' has inspired me to give 'The Branch' a spin. If it also treads the Brown path, I may just have to cut Guirao some slack.
The storyline is certainly an interesting one, and the premise asks questions some of the more credulous among us would do well to ponder. However, even at just 32 minutes, the execution is about 10 minutes too long and cheaply melodramatic. With a subject matter such as this, it certainly ought to be stirring. The script as executed feels slightly 'Dan Brown' - excessively didactic without ringing true. The first half of the film is quite literally a group of two-dimensional stereotypes arguing about the qualities of a messiah, and it's not until 20 minutes in that we finally see what the fuss is really about. It might have been better as a two-hander between the man who calls himself divine and the one persecuting him, through which his claim to holy fame is slowly revealed. Pau Baredo as the chief antagonist is definitely reaching for the OTT trophy, when a more controlled performance would have been far more effective, although the rest of the cast are just as willing to yell into the microphone. It's fairly apparent that all involved are meant to be caricatures, but this is a story demanding of greater subtlety. On the plus side, director Josep Guirao knows his financial limits and makes good use of low lighting and simple props.
Nonetheless, while the Catalan commentary on the Second Coming may lack finesse, 'Don't Take The Name Of God In Vain' has inspired me to give 'The Branch' a spin. If it also treads the Brown path, I may just have to cut Guirao some slack.
