Heretic Movie Review

Heretic (2024)

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Written by: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Directed by: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods
Starring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, Topher Grace
Rated: R
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Plot
Two young missionaries are drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse in the house of a strange man when they knock on the wrong door.

Verdict
Intense. If you can stick with the premise, this manages to keep raising the level of wild. It's starts out uneasy as the audience looks for clues based on the premise. As you wonder what will happen next, this always has an answer. To provide depth, this is a study of society; how women remain well-mannered even in absolutely wild circumstances, how people fester over differences, and the overlap of religion on both of those themes. While this guy's argument and performance seems contrived, if you can ignore that aspect this is a quite the ride. In this case, cajoling your captor just doesn't work.
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Review
This opens with a disarming conversation between two Mormon missionaries as they discuss sex and pop culture. It defies the stereotype, and provides commons ground for the audience and the missionaries. Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) seems more reserved and knowledgeable about the world while Sister Paxton (Chloe East) is the more eager. Paxton sees a group of teens crossing the street and appreciates their liveliness. The teens ask for a picture before asking about magic underwear, embarrassing Paxton. While their beliefs may seem foreign, everyone understands embarrassment.

Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher play Sister Paxton, Sister Barnes

They're en route to speak to Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). Paxton is more enthusiastic, and I wondered if Barnes has doubts about her faith. Knowing the premise, I was looking for inconsistencies in what Reed says. I want to read into his expressions as he's strange. I could dismiss it as he's an odd old man, but there's more to it. Barnes seems wary, and it has to be odd to enter a stranger's home. One of their rules is that a woman has to be present, and Reed tells them his wife is in the kitchen. He's knowledgeable and his questions seem pointed. It makes the women nervous which is understandable.

The situation is a stand in for interactions between men and women. Women can feel the tension and sense the danger. They try to politely leave and while Reed states they are free to go, he's also not unlocking the door. He directs them to the back door, and that's when this takes it to the next level.

Hugh Grant plays Mr. Reed

Reed asks them if they believe he really has a wife. We've see plenty of evidence that he doesn't, and he compares that to believing in God. Were you told an entity existed and were polite and didn't question it? The women are given a choice as to which door to exit. Reed is playing a game. Few movies can make opening a door so intense.

Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East  play Sister Barnes, Sister Paxton

Barnes and Paxton are being polite when they shouldn't be. They want to be nice, having been trained so. He's been weird but hasn't attacked. He's said they're free to go but hasn't allowed them to leave. He's holding them hostage, just being very nice about it. Every instinct is telling Barnes and Paxton to run but their concern is that if they act on their impulses it will only escalate the situation. The hope is that thanking him and being polite will mitigate whatever violence could ensue.

I have to wonder about what Reed had planned. Did he plan this elaborate routine and was just waiting on missionaries to come by? That's one aspect that you just have to ignore as it's extreme. He has a presentation about the commodification of religion ready to go. They're forced to make a choice between these two doors, and you're likely to guess where that choice leads.

That's where this takes it to yet another level. If this hasn't been wild before, it's now bewildering. The women are truly trapped beyond any doubt, and Reed subjects them to a "prophet." That generates a lot of questions. The premise becomes increasingly more difficult to believe. It's an intense hostage story with religion and cultural overtones, and it just keeps getting more wild. I just keep coming back to the elaborate ruse Reed has created It's difficult to suspend my disbelief. Why would he go to so much trouble to win an argument? This is about the themes and metaphors more than what's actually happening. Though what happens is one absolutely wild ride.

SPOILERS

As wild as this is, the question at the end isn't what happened but when did Paxton die. While she was praying seems the most logical. This whole movie stretches credibility, but Paxton's escape seems outlandish even by this movie's standards. Once she escapes a butterfly lands on her hand, referencing something she said earlier. My first thought was that the butterfly represents Barnes. It then disappears and I recalled how the movie stated the brain creates wild scenarios when you die. It seems a bit like a test for the audience and how they interpret it, but even the weather and scenery contradict what we've seen prior to her escape.