Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
This article was published on November 8, 2024.Hereticis now streaming onMax.
Spoilers ahead for the plot and ending ofHeretic.
Mr. Reed has doubts.
The terrible problem, of course, is that he doesnt stop at just asking questions.
One ends up wishing for a stronger rebuttal,some convincing reason to believe.
Its just nice to think about someone other than yourself.
Even if its you.
But compared to Mr. Reeds structured argumentation over the course ofHeretic, Paxtons response feels hand-wavy.
Things immediately feel amiss the moment the Sisters first meet their charming tormentor.
We know its true because of how it makes us feel, Sister Paxton replies.
Exactly, Mr. Reed notes, having guided their conversation to the exact spot he intends.
In many ways, Mr. Reeds target is less organized religion than faith itself.
Do you still believe my wife is in the next room, despite all the evidence to the contrary?
Or have you been politely indulging in a lie?
(Why are you doing this?
Because you let me.)
But we can be an intellectual threat.
There are strong differences between the Sisters.
In contrast, Barnes is worldlier.
So it is Barnes who leads the Sisters opposition to Mr. Reed.
There are holes in his logic, too.
Her counterargument, essentially, is that his atheism, too, boils down to a kind of feeling.
So its a genuine shock when Mr. Reed slashes her throat with a box cutter.
In a just world, he should be in the Oscars race for this.
And how does that square with the violence of organized religion?
He wheezes and whimpers; he seems to cry.
Its a satisfying moment that resolves the movies physical conflict.
ButHeretics philosophical tension is left dangling.
For a moment, the film seems interested in the ambiguity of that tension.
Is Sister Paxton feeling a hollowness in the poetry of her faith here?
Or is it a further illustration of her commitment to seeing that beauty?
The film cuts out before another beat that would establish Paxtons evolution one way or another.
GivenHeretics clear joy in kicking around ideas, this is frustrating.
One cant help but wish for all this philosophizing to drive toward a more specific thesis.
Perhaps that can be found in a moment thats less about feeling and more about action.
