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45/36
Two young religious women engage in a cat-and-mouse game at a stranger’s house. The end credits include the statement: “Generative AI was not used in the creation of this film.” I saw seven films at TIFF this year, and the one that got my vote for Best Film was HERETIC starring Hugh Grant (which would also get my vote for Best Actor if it were a voting category). I was very impressed to see him get in touch with his dark side in the HBO miniseries THE UNDOING, but here he turns it up to 11 playing a friendly, religiously obsessed psychopath. This is a break in his portrayal of a schizophrenic character in a romantic comedy. Actresses Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East also give excellent performances as two Mormon missionary girls who think they are visiting a person interested in converting to Mormonism. But Grant turns out to be far more learned—and questioning—about religion than they expected. Realizing that he is not really interested in conversion, but more in discussing religion, they ask to leave, only to find themselves locked inside. Thus begins a game of cat and mouse in which Grant puts their faith to the test. As horror should be, it’s solid, but doesn’t reach the extremes of similar claustrophobic horror films like FUNNY GAMES (the original) and SPEAK NO EVIL (the 2022 version). The result is refreshingly unusual. My only complaint is that choosing Mormonism as a religion seems a bit calculated. In short, if you’ve ever liked a Hugh Grant movie and want to see him at the top of his game, watch this movie. I haven’t been so sure about an acting film Oscar nomination at TIFF since I saw Allison Janney in 2017’s Tonya . Note: There was a question-and-answer session after the presentation, and several people complimented me on the question I asked: “Was Richard Dawkins an influence on me?” Director Brian Woods confirmed that he did. Check out our list of exciting new films from this year’s film festivals, including Venice, TIFF and New York Film Festivals.
