the devil makes three

[chouchoot]

title: the catechism cataclysm
director/screenwriter: todd rohal
category: park city at midnight
rating: 2.5 out of 5



there is a certain amount of ridiculousness i can go for (see the forthcoming review for codependent lesbian space alien seeks same). then there is the kind of ridiculousness that compromises its strength and uniqueness for the unsupported bizarre. the catechism cataclysm is that kind of film.

in this absurd dark comedy, we are introduced to father billy, a rock and roll loving priest who's calling seems to have been a wrong number. after failing to connect to the church patrons, father billy decides to take a sabbatical to learn more about himself, nature, and the will of god. because father billy apparently is incapable of maintaining interpersonal relationships, the logical choice for an accomplice is his sister's high school boyfriend. robbie--whose life is in no better shape than father billy's appears to be--begrudgingly accepts, agreeing to a canoe trip. after father billy's first beer, getting lost, two mystical japanese girls, and the arriving of nightfall, things go expectedly awry.

though the character development and solid handling by the actors propel the film towards what feels something, the story fails to be interesting or go anywhere other than the Ridiculous and the Unbelievable. in some ways, these elements pay tribute to the best of the b-movie horror genre, but that may or may not have been rohal's intention with the film. it is telling to say that many people walked out of the film before it ended; my staying through the credits was out of idle curiosity, only to be treated to an unsatisfactory ending. which is not to say that the catechism cataclysm was absolute rubbish, but it could have used a little bit of god's loving touch to make it less lame.