By George & Josh Bate
Although A Prayer for the Dying is probably most accurately characterized as a survival thriller, Dara Van Dusen’s feature debut has more in common with a Paul Thomas Anderson-esque period piece about a specific period in American history than it does the likes of The Grey or The Descent. Harrowing, painfully real, and heartbreaking, the new Fantastic Fest world premiere quickly cements its status as one of the best films of the festival.
A Prayer for the Dying takes place in the 1870s, after the American Civil War, in the small town of Friendship, Wisconsin. Sheriff Jacob Hansen (Johnny Flynn) hopes to start a new life in the town when a diphtheria epidemic spreads, forcing him into a fight to save his family and the citizens of Friendship.
Inspired by a novel by Stewart O’Nan, A Prayer for the Dying captures the delicate balance of simplicity and dread that characterizes westerns. As a result of a deadly epidemic and threatening wildfires, death and disease become a disturbingly normal occurrence in a small town whose austerity and scenery belie the horrors that unfold.
While Fantastic Fest is known for being the world’s greatest genre festival and home to many of each year’s most exciting and unique horror titles, A Prayer for the Dying isn’t exactly a horror film, at least not in the traditional sense. There are no jump scares, vicious monsters, supernatural entities, or masked killers; instead, Van Dusen presents a haunting snapshot of pioneer life in rural Wisconsin that capitalizes on the terror of being completely out of control of one’s destiny.
Van Dusen pulls off a remarkable feat by masterminding a directorial debut as confident and ambitious as A Prayer for the Dying. Although many westerns struggle with their sterility and mundanity, Van Dusten’s film possesses a rhythm and flow to its camera movements seldom, if ever, found in westerns. Stylish, yet raw with its direction, Van Dusen often uses her camera to circle a room while the audience hears the action occurring. There’s an almost musical, propulsive quality to the way in which Van Dusen creatively uses the camera, which aids immensely in amplifying the anxiety and pressure of her protagonist.
Johnny Flynn, who will soon play Lucius Malfoy in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot, plays the film’s protagonist with just the right amount of subtlety and stoicism. The film begins on a lighter note, punctuated by a lively parting exchange between Flynn’s Jacob and his wife and daughter as he bicycles to work, but, as the story develops, Jacob has to balance the torment of nightmares from his past with the chaos unfolding in the town he is tasked with protecting. As a pastor and undertaker of the town as well, Jacob bears the weight of incredible responsibility on his shoulders and, understandably, loses it a bit. Flynn does well to go more expansive with his performance at key junctures of the movie but overall remained restrained, in turn making a deeply authentic character out of Jacob.
The other leader of Friendship is Doc, played by John C. Reilly. While Jacob is a family man guided by his faith, Doc’s belief in science and logic dictate his life. Their often opposing philosophies and worldviews create a fascinating dynamic between Reilly and Flynn, who together superbly capture the complexities of a fraught relationship between two men with a common goal who need to work together.
Both through the relationship between Jacob and Doc and the dilemma they face more broadly, A Prayer for the Dying makes for exceedingly timely viewing. It is difficult to watch Van Dusen’s film without looking at it through the lens of the COVID pandemic and the one-two punch that came with devastating wildfires for many. Although the characters face these problems in 1870 in the film, their reactions, motivations, and perspectives mirror how society and our leaders approach such seemingly insurmountable problems in the modern day.
VERDICT: 8/10
Although A Prayer for the Dying is probably most accurately characterized as a survival thriller, Dara Van Dusen’s feature debut has more in common with a Paul Thomas Anderson-esque period piece about a specific period in American history than it does the likes of The Grey or The Descent. Harrowing, painfully real, and heartbreaking, Dana Van Dusen’s debut film captures the delicate balance of simplicity and dread that characterizes westerns, with a deadly epidemic and threatening wildfires making death and disease a disturbingly normal occurrence. While it isn’t exactly a horror film in the traditional sense, Van Dusen presents a haunting snapshot of pioneer life that capitalizes on the terror of being completely out of control of one’s destiny. Van Dusen pulls off a remarkable feat with a confident and ambitious directorial debut, using stylish yet raw camera movements and an almost musical, propulsive quality to amplify the anxiety and pressure of her protagonist. Johnny Flynn plays Jacob with subtlety and stoicism, creating a deeply authentic character as he balances the torment of nightmares from his past with the chaos unfolding in the town he is tasked with protecting, while John C. Reilly’s Doc provides a fascinating contrast through his belief in science and logic. Their opposing philosophies create a superbly captured dynamic between two men with a common goal who need to work together, making A Prayer for the Dying exceedingly timely viewing as its depiction of epidemics and devastating wildfires mirrors how society and its leaders approach seemingly insurmountable problems in the modern day. A Prayer for the Dying may not be your typical Fantastic Fest film – there’s no masked killers, supernatural entities, or vicious monsters – but it deftly captures why the Austin-based genre festival is as beloved as it is. Audiences come to Fantastic Fest for different, challenging, prescient, thought-provoking, and unsettling viewing experiences, and A Prayer for the Dying is all of those things (and more).