Them That Follow (2019)

[Jake Lipson]

Title: Them That Follow

Genre: Horror, Drama

Director: Britt Poulton, Daniel Savage

Cast: Alice Englert, Walton Goggins, Thomas Mann, Olivia Colman, Kaitlyn Dever, Jim Gaffigan, Lewis Pullman

Release: 2019-08-02

Runtime: 98

Plot: A Pentecostal pastor, Lemuel Childs, and his believers handle venomous snakes to prove themselves before God. Lemuel’s daughter, Mara holds a secret that threatens to tear the church apart: her romantic past with a nonbeliever, Augie. As Mara’s wedding to a devoted follower looms, she must decide whether or not to trust the steely matriarch of their community, Hope, with her heart and life at stake.

 

[Jake Lipson]

No thread for this yet apparently. I saw it last weekend and didn't really know what to expect from it going in but was blown away.

Walton Goggins plays a Pentecostal pastor who believes in using live snakes to cleanse his followers. His daughter (Alice Englert) receives a marriage proposal but, naturally, has a secret which, when it comes out, changes the community and her outlook on life within it. Olivia Coleman and Kaitlyn Dever have good supporting roles too.

The cast is phenomenal, and it's really intense and provocative. I'm pretty sure the climactic scenes raised my blood pressure a bit while I was watching them. It's a slow burn character-based thriller and probably won't be for everyone, but it sure was for me.

If you're like Indiana Jones and don't like snakes, this is probably not for you. But if you're looking for a smart indie thriller right now, this one can't be beat.

My arthouse opened it last Friday and will close it on Thursday after only six days, so it doesn't appear to be doing very well, but it should. If it's near you, I would very highly recommend checking it out.