Consecration (2023) - Film Review

      **Consecration, 2023.**

      Directed by Christopher Smith.

      Featuring Jena Malone, Danny Huston, Thoren Ferguson, Will Keen, Janet Suzman, Ian Pirie, Steffan Cennydd, Angela White, Kit Rakusen, Eilidh Fisher, and Jolade Obasola.

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      Following the suspected suicide of her priest brother, Grace makes her way to the isolated Scottish convent where he met his end. Skeptical of the Church’s version of events, she discovers murder, sacrilege, and an unsettling truth about herself.

      The initial moments of Christopher Smith’s film, co-written with Laurie Cook, set up a narrative that is much more blasphemous and absurdly entertaining. A Mother Superior brandishes a small handgun in broad daylight, aiming it at someone. Consecration then rewinds to narrate the sequence of events leading to this moment, but this path is rather predictable and reliant on the clichés of the religious horror genre.

      Jena Malone’s optometrist Grace (the name seems to recur in such films, under the pretentious notion of cleverness) is called to a remote part of Scotland after the supposed murder-suicide involving her estranged priest brother Michael (Steffan Cennydd), a separation driven by issues related to religion among other factors.

      It becomes evident quickly that Mother Superior (the same character from the opening scene, portrayed by Janet Suzman) and the nuns (one of whom appears to have gone mad and harmed herself) are concealing information and not fully forthcoming about the circumstances surrounding Fr. Michael’s death. Characters are either losing their sanity, something supernatural is at play, or a logical explanation exists for everything that’s happening.

      Fr. Romero (Danny Huston) is also brought in to evaluate the situation and protect the convent's reputation, yet he seems to have hidden motives while assuring Grace he will communicate her worries to the local police (who, predictably, consider everyone in this context to be unhinged).

      In a humorous turn, the detective (Thoren Ferguson) dismisses the ridiculous theories from the church instantly, often responding amusingly. Meanwhile, Grace explores the area and stumbles upon a coded diary she shared with her brother during their childhood, hinting that its contents are meant solely for her and revealing that Fr. Michael was aware of the convent’s sinister intentions.

      There are flashbacks to their childhood, including a disturbing scene depicting their abusive upbringing (often confined alongside their mother in cages), but for the most part, Consecration feels sluggish, too predictably laying out its plot. Even the flashbacks transition from intensely frightening to exaggerated and insincere. Once the quest for an ancient relic is mentioned, the direction of the story and the truth behind the deaths become fairly obvious. Nonetheless, the climactic montage reveal is impressively gory and satisfying.

      One wishes Consecration had shifted its focus from the mundane mystery and procedural elements to embrace the absurdity of its core concept, rather than reserving it for a predictable finale. The film also falls short in providing substantial commentary on organized religion, family, or sibling dynamics. While the cast delivers commendable performances, the story does not fully capitalize on its potentially dark or dangerously angelic themes.

      **Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★**

      Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association as well as the Critics Choice Association. He also serves as the Reviews Editor for Flickering Myth. Check here for new reviews, follow me on Twitter or Letterboxd, or contact me at [email protected]