Gripping, if flawed, version of the events surrounding Rock Theriault's commune/sect in 1980s Quebec.
Mario Azzopardi's TV training (Stargate, Outer Limits) is weirdly effective in that the look of the film all 'movie of the week' clichés (flat lighting, static camera) makes the coarse language and violence all the more jarring and effective.
And if Polly Walker (Patriot Games) does little to dispel this atmosphere, the performances of Isabelle Blais (The Barbarian Invasions) and (in particular) Luc Picard as Theriault go along way to dignifying an otherwise standard and manipulative affair.
Savage Messiah
2002
Action / Drama / Thriller
Savage Messiah
2002
Action / Drama / Thriller
Plot summary
As a small-town social worker investigates a commune headed by a spiritual leader calling himself Moses, she discovers a dead child, sadistic rituals, and ruthless mental and physical abuse.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
August 10, 2021 at 06:41 PM
Director
Movie Reviews
Powerful Wolf in TV Movie Clothes
Made-for-tv made better
Savage Messiah is a true story. The story of a Canadian social worker, once beaten by her husband, who discovers the women and children of a small commune are being abused by their leader. This leader, it turns out, calls himself Moses and has made the nine women living with him his concubines, mistreating them in the most violent ways.
This story made quite a lot of noise when it came out during the late eighties, both in Ontario and Quebec, especially because of the cruelty of the acts involved and the outrageous control "Moses" (Roch Thériault) had on "his" people.
While attempting to depict, sometimes with success, how it was like to live on the Church River commune, the movie mostly follows, in a very straightforward way, the social worker who discovers the truth and tries to make everything stop. Thus, it very soon starts to resemble these true stories often seen on tv on Friday night. Of course, the budget here is a little bigger, and the actors quite a bit more talented, but apart from that it just feels like a big made-for-tv movie, very easy to follow, with its few strong emotional moments along the way, but no real character development. And although the advertising prompted the viewer to "be the judge", the movie clearly adopts a subjective point of view. In the end, it's an interesting story, although violent, but a movie that, sadly or not, will not make history.
Disturbing, based on fact....
This is a very good film which should get more exposure due to its pertinent subject matter.
Luc Picard as Roch Theriault, a charismatic cult leader who ran a commune in the Canadian wilderness; Polly Walker portrays the social worker who exposes his abusive practices, and having experienced marital abuse herself; at first intuits that something is awry in the commune, which the social service agency must first check out.
When the board of assessors approves Theriault, and vindicates him, she went on record as objecting, but it unfortunately took a lot longer to finally expose his crimes against humanity. Toward the end there is a most disturbing scene as he is drinking with his numerous wives, partying, and suddenly takes a knife and casually grinds it into one of the women's hands, letting her sit there until she passes out from the intense pain. Then he removes it, and tells she she is lucky he can fix it, as he comes toward her with an ax.
Very disturbing and interesting commentary on the psychology of commune life, brainwashing, and how people become involved with cults in the first place. 8/10.