New Zealand born Director Jake Mahaffy was trawling the news one day when he came across a chilling story from 2003 concerning the death of an 8 year old autistic boy named Terrance Cottrell. His death was seemingly the unintentional consequence of a modern-day exorcism performed by members of a small storefront Milwaukee church who mistook his autism for demonic possession. The cause of death was mechanical asphyxia and the pastor was arrested for homicide. Loosely writing a film around this incident, Mahaffy decided to bring depth and a backstory to this tragedy, hence Free in Deed.
Rather than a cynical look at religion, Free in Deed is a blunt, unadorned exploration of desperation and blind faith, driven by strong performances from leads Edwina Findley Dickerson and David Hareland, as well as a convincing physical turn from child actor Rajay Chandler, whose invasive fits and meltdowns feel so visceral and real that they are hard to watch at times.
The child, Benny, has a younger sister and a single mother, Melva, (played by Findley Dickerson) who all live in less than ideal accommodation in Tennessee. Immediately the tone complements Melva’s often helpless struggle as she lives a life of high stress and desperation, dealing with a distant health care system which doesn’t seem like they care at all about the disadvantaged. Combined with Benny being kicked out of school citing behavioural issues, this pushes Melva closer and closer towards a local storefront church with a small, but pious following led by a fiery, energetic Bishop portrayed with strong conviction by the talented Preston Shannon.
Intense as the church may be, the lively scenes of prayer and effervescent worship are contrasted with the introverted, troubled Abe (David Harewood) who persistently seeks redemption and is upheld by the church group as a faith healer. His presence during the many vigorous sermons provides a strong anchor for the film and a point of connection for Melva, whose increasingly hopeless situation leads her to surrender Benny to frequent “faith healing” sessions, particularly after he poses a significant threat to his sister.
Using the 2003 story as a base and then fleshing out the circumstances leading up to this tragedy would give any Director enough space to take certain stances on the sociology of poorer communities in relation to devout religious practices and storefront churches, but Mahaffy’s screenplay remains mostly observational, relatively distant and flat, keeping the raw tone consistent, even feeling like a documentary at times. There is an unfortunate dramatisation of the relationship between Melva and Abe which peters into nothing, but for the most part Mahaffy seems unconcerned with overplaying the issue at hand, unflinching as the tragedy unfolds in a similar fashion to the events on which it is based.
There’s very little joy in this film despite the warmth and affable embrace offered to Melva by the church, who remain a comfort to her until the inevitable plays out with Mahaffy’s stark, stylish, and straight-faced approach. It’s powerful and incredibly unsettling, an unforgettable construct of an already depressing story.
Review Score: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Run Time: 98 minutes
Free in Deed screened as part of the 63rd annual Sydney Film Festival. More information can be found HERE.
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