MicroCinema Scene

A hit man in wait of his next kill encounters a preacher while waiting at a spare rib joint. She is as determined to convert him as he is to carry out his mission.

Infidel is a quite interesting featurette that benefits from a good script, but is slightly hampered but uneven pacing. That said, there are several surreal dream sequences are particularly effective if somewhat extended, but they succeed in raising the film from its TV feel to another level of filmmaking.

What’s important here is that we have the work of a true screenwriter who understands the structure of drama and knows how to make his characters believable. At times the film turns really compelling and its characters are touched by a humanism and poignancy rarely seen in Microcinema. At its tricky running time of 56 minutes, I think the piece would have needed some trimming to cut about 15 minutes, or expand the characters outside of the ribs joint to make it feature-length.

Despite the minor shortcomings, after the film is over you are left with the effectively washed-out, drab-looking surroundings, several shots of a passing trains, a soundtrack that seems to evoke the mood of a Jim Jarmush film and mostly: Memorable characters. Despite having a preacher as a co-protagonist, the film is far from being preachy and manages to inspire sympathy for both the killer and the church lady.

What truly works is that you can find your own interpretation. As an atheist I took it as a mild attack on religion. Our killer is well-read and seems pretty smart. “You read too many fucking books,” his partner tells him at one point. The church lady might not the brightest person but after the initial annoyance of her preaching we see that her life is a mess and she is reaching out, as well as the killer, not to particularly God but for mere human contact.

No matter the drab world the characters inhabit and some minor technical shortcomings. Infidel is a film that has a heart. It’s sincere.

Related Articles:

• INFIDEL now available at B-Side