A Prayer for the Dying

It is a sign of the times that upon reading the title, people assumed Dara Van Dusen’s directorial debut to be a remake of the 1987 Mike Hodges film; however the two share nothing but a name. Instead, A Prayer for the Dying tackles a different IP: it is an adaptation of a Stewart O’Nan novel.

Set in 1870’s Wisconsin, sheriff and pastor Jacob Hansen (Johnny Flynn) is called to perform final rites for a deceased vagrant. Inspecting the body, the town doctor (John C Reilly) immediately recognises the grim hallmarks of diphtheria, but as the men clash over the proper course of action, the disease starts to spread. The very panic they seek to prevent soon consumes the town, exacerbated by another threat: a raging wildfire looming on the horizon.

While only hinting at a first-person perspective, the camera dynamics lean heavy into the signature visuals of video games: whip pans, 360-degree turns, a tense scanning of the surroundings to look out for impending danger. This gives the illustration of a post-Civil War epidemic a bizarre but wholly unique spin – until it devolves into a mere gimmick trying to distract from the thinning narrative. Occasionally we find the protagonist appearing into his own supposed point-of-view shot. The viewer’s attention is constantly being steered and redirected.

The special effects are largely impressive, especially in instances meant to blur the protagonist’s sight: fog, haze, bright sunshine bursting through trees, falling ash. Fire remains a notoriously difficult element to animate convincingly and the digital rendering in Prayer falls into similar traps as the recent The Last Bus and Avatar: Fire and Ash. Scenes in which characters suddenly find themselves engulfed in flames lack the haptics to translate their distress to the audience.

Alongside the above-mentioned leads, Norwegian actress Kristine Kujath Thorp (Sick of Myself) and Swedish actor Gustav Lindh (Queen of Hearts) round out the well-blended cast, even if Flynn is given the most challenging material to work with. He is at his best when the emotional stakes are clear, but his performance loses impact as his character’s motivations become increasingly muddled. As such the viewer feels somewhat detached in what should be the feature’s grand finale.

A Prayer for the Dying is a very peculiar viewing experience and might soothe the broken hearts of those lamenting the latest Silent Hill movie. Despite the intriguing approach and obvious stylistic strengths, the final outcome ultimately feels too much like smoke and mirrors to leave spectators with a genuine sense of fulfilment.

Selina Sondermann

A Prayer for the Dying does not have a release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.