A look at the movies I watched during the week.
The Penitent Man
Year: 2010
Runtime: 1h 32m
Rated: Not Rated
Director: Nicholas Gyeney
Writers: Nicholas Gyeney, Trevor Tillman
Stars: Lance Henriksen, Lathrop Walker, Andrew Keegan
“Humankind had acquired all the information it could ever desire, and it was maddening.”
Initial: I came across this movie while looking at Lance Henricksen’s credits during my Horror A-to-Z watch-athons; bookmarked it because it wasn’t horror.
Production Notes: According to IMDB, from concept to completion, The Penitent Man took only five months to produce.
What Did I Think: (may contain spoliers)
The Penitent Man is a time travel movie written almost exclusively in dialogues between the characters played by Henriksen/Lathrop or Lathrop/Keegan.
The plot isn’t particularly twisty; if you’re paying attention at all, you know exactly where the movie is going. This means that it’s not a frustrating exercise in obfuscation which is often a trap for time travel movies (*cough* Primer *cough*). The Penitent Man is more like a kinda clever short story concept that writer/director Nicholas Gyeney had the self-control to NOT pad out.
For a movie of people talking, I didn’t find it slow. Part of that is due to the actor’s performances, of course, but credit also needs to go to director Gyeney, cinematographer Michael Boydstun, and editor Jacob Bearchum. The movie keeps moving despite its subjects being stationary.
If you’re in the US, you can watch The Penitent Man for free on Tubi.
That’s if for this week. November is finally slowing down, so maybe a couple movies in the next edition of Cinema Saturday. Oh, and if you want to follow me on Letterboxd, I’m knabity.
Simple Tricks & Nonsense 