The Revival

"The Revival" is a slightly old-fashioned melodrama of the well-trodden tale of a young conservative Southern Baptist Pastor facing the struggle of having to choose between his wife and God on one side, and the handsome young drifter for whom he has fallen. Adapted from Samuel Brett William's stage play from 2010, the story, which sports a somewhat predictable plot, is lifted by performances from David Rysdahl as Eli the minister and the very impressive Zachary Booth as Daniel, who is the temptation that leads Eli off the straight and narrow.

The movie, the directing debut of Jennifer Gerber, starts with Eli spotting Daniel at the free potluck supper that follows each church service. He is not easy to miss, as the congregation has dwindled to a mere handful; many of the locals have decamped to a nearby megachurch, where they scream about fire and brimstone, adding a theatrical touch to their Sundays.

However, when Eli should be focusing on hanging on to his church, he is much keener on hanging on to Daniel. Before he can get his Bible shut, the two have jumped into bed together and embarked on a secret affair. Later on, it's Eli's rather mousey wife, June (Lucy Faust), that surprises them (and us) by revealing that she knows what has been going on; with a powerful speech, she gives her conflicted husband an ultimatum.

The film is an opportunity to trot out the cliched and blatant homophobia that's loved by devout Christians (who are naturally the self-appointed judge and jury on the whole subject). There is no attempt at any subtlety at all here, which makes the whole thing a little hard to like, even if Eli and Daniel's few erotic moments do their best to try and keep us entertained.

We always knew that Southern Baptists and homosexuality were never a good mix, but they are much easier to stomach when they try singing a different song, rather than just dragging out the same platitudes yet once again.

DVD
$24.99
http://www.bgpics.com/2017/the-revival/