The Revival

2017

1h 25m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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List

78%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

47%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

A Baptist preacher stays in a secret affair with a young drifter.

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Audience Member

WHY? It is not more interesting for the viewer to have the characters in a movie do something totally out of their character. It only makes the movie confusing not shocking. It is probably more interesting in the script room or to play as an actor, but is only frustrating for the viewer. The only reason I continued to watch the movie after the wife turned into evil wife and lovable drunk friend turned into evil drunk friend, was the hope that the two main characters would either get together or at least part ways with some meaningful dialogue. Again, WHY is murder of a homosexual drug addict a believable or acceptable 2017 plot? Did not make the movie edgy. I wonder if the play wad the same exact plot? If this was a statement about the evangelicals, get over it. Not sorry I watched this, just sorry it didn't have another script rewrite before going into production.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This masterful debut, exploring homophobia in an rural Evangelical town—but also a much more trenchant cultural portrait—deserved far wider mainstream review attention and distribution. "The Revival" is excellently crafted, exceptionally well cast and acted with a devastatingly surprising denouement, exploring the hypocritical power of religious hate and self-loathing, but also the cruel effects of poverty on the lives of those who grew up in blue collar, trailer park communities wracked by the abuse of young women and drug use and the materialism of Christian megachurches with their self-righteous fire-and-brimstone. All this is conveyed through the interplay of strong characters acting on their desperate needs and urges in a tangled web of compelling relationships. Particularly powerful given the Trumpist enabling of right wing hypocrisy . A must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The movie itself was well written and acted but the ending was wrong, like it was set aside for awhile and then just hastily written to have an ending. They could have taken the ending in so many different well thought out and meaningful directions, why they chose this way is beyond me. Ruined the movie for me and I will NOT recommend anyone watch it.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

So the two leading men were great and the scenes with the two of them together are worth a watch, so like just watch a compilation of those scenes. As for the rest of the film, I would say don't bother. In trying to unmask the violence, vitriol, and hate aimed at LGBT people in conservative Christian communities, it ends up using a dangerous and quite frankly, outdated trope when it kills it's the most openly gay character at the end. So instead of coming off as enlightening, it comes off as mean spirited, boring slog.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The execution is better than the not particularly original premise. It avoids the trap of being as trite as an after school special.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/05/19

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the worst movies I’ve seen. Cruel and downright bad. No need to waste your time on this movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/19

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Jennifer Gerber

Director

Zachary Booth

Daniel

David Carl

Preacher

Stephen Ellis

Jimmy

Lucy Faust

June

Raymond McAnally

Trevor

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The Revival: Trailer 1

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Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

The often difficult squaring of religious fervor and sexual longing receives poignant, powerful treatment in "The Revival" ...

Jan 18, 2018

Full Review

Jon Frosch

Hollywood Reporter

But it is a worthwhile one, showcasing a pair of deeply gifted leading men and a promising new talent behind the camera.

Jan 2, 2018

Full Review

Alistair Ryder

Gay Essential

Less a self-acceptance narrative, and more of an exploration of one man's crisis of faith, Samuel Bret Williams' screenplay avoids giving easy resolutions to the character's problems - making for an unrelentingly harrowing viewing experience.

Oct 10, 2019

Full Review

Cathy Brennan

One Room With A View

Holds a lot of potential. However, the conclusion will infuriate a lot of gay audience members, and the lack of scale and cinematic flair makes it a trudge to watch.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 14, 2019

Full Review

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

This drama is sharply well written and played, with knowing observations about the collision between religion and culture.

Rated: 3/5

May 7, 2018

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Craig Mathieson

The Sunday Age

[It] doesn't just capture the community dynamics of a southern church and the contradictory pressures, he allows Eli to be seen not as a hypocrite but someone who has genuinely tried to serve their faith and not their heart.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 16, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

A Baptist preacher stays in a secret affair with a young drifter.

Director: Jennifer Gerber
Producer: Cathleen Ihasz, Nicole Ihasz
Screenwriter: Samuel Brett Williams
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 23, 2018
Runtime: 1h 25m

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