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08/07/2023

Review of 'Consecration': A Failed Attempt at Religious Horror


By Juan Camilo Ardila (Twitter: @juanardila87)

"Consecration" is a failed suspense and horror film that has arrived in the country's cinemas.

"Consecration" is a kind of religious thriller with shades of horror, telling the story of a young Englishwoman named Grace, portrayed by Jena Malone, who receives the tragic news of her priest brother's presumed suicide in a Scottish convent. Grace, who considers herself an atheist, tests her beliefs and gradually begins to uncover a religious conspiracy seemingly connected to traumas from her childhood.

One thing we can greatly appreciate about this film is its duration. In an era where it seems like every feature film must last two hours or more, this film directed by filmmaker Christopher Smith has the ideal runtime: 90 minutes. The director is also commendable for consistently demonstrating his skill in creating eerie and mysterious atmospheres, with this film's staging effectively blending religion and the supernatural, thanks to adept camera placement, lighting and shadow manipulation, and satisfactory art direction. It's a shame that all the good aspects of the film end here.

The serious problem with "Consecration" lies, as in Smith's entire short filmography, in its clumsy screenplay. We are faced with a talented filmmaker, but also a writer who never manages to fulfill his ambitious narrative promises. This director enjoys surprising the audience with plot twists, often prioritizing them over the story he is telling.

It's enough to recall his best film to date, "Triangle" (2009), where its consistent incoherences in narration prevent that movie from being a true gem. Nevertheless, that film is quite good due to its effectiveness in utilizing the concept of time loops to generate terror and suspense. However, we can't say the same about "Consecration": the poor handling of flashbacks, the predictability of the screenplay, and the tediousness of the mystery story within the convent make this film seem more like a forgettable episode of the iconic series "American Horror Story" than a quality horror film for the big screen.

Each scene in Smith's latest film is constructed to disorient the viewer, but what it achieves most is disconnecting the audience from the plot, making them care little or nothing about what is happening to the protagonist. Moreover, dedicated horror enthusiasts shouldn't take too long to unravel the puzzle of Grace's life and Michael's death. Once the puzzle is pieced together, the initial appeal of the story completely fades away, leaving you wondering what might have happened if "Consecration" had been written by Robert Eggers.

In addition to the lack of dramatic weight and narrative coherence in the main plot, "Consecration" adds a police subplot that doesn't contribute to the story. Smith seems to have built up the mystery but wasn't clear on how to piece it together for revelation. The film slightly improves in the third act when the final twist is revealed, but by then, we've grown tired and bored despite its short runtime. Furthermore, the surprise unveiled in its final minutes challenges the viewer's suspension of disbelief, and although the concept is clever, the lack of logic and emotion prevents that idea from resonating with the audience.

"Consecration"'s ending also hints at a deeper debate about faith and fanaticism within the Catholic Church. However, this potential implication comes too late to save the movie, reaffirming that there's nothing worse in a film than trying to be something it's not. A film can be dull and flawed, but if it's also pretentious, it becomes offensive to the person dedicating an hour and a half of their time to watch it.

Without a doubt, despite this film showing glimpses of what it could have been, its disjointed screenplay prevents it from reaching its potential. Fans of "Triangle" must continue to wait for Smith to once again surprise us with a good suspense and horror film. Hopefully, the wait will end with his next release.

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