THE CORRUPTION OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE

Canada, 2020, 97 minutes, Colour.

Elyse Levesque, Ali Skovbye, David LaHaye, Corey Sevier, Tantoo Cardinal, Paul Amos, Eugene Brave Rock, John B.Lowe, Andres Collantes, Keith Damboise.

Directed by Jeremy Torrie.

A Canadian film, the setting in Canada, open plains.

However, this is a film about religious traditions. On the whole, the community seems to be Catholic although many are now lapsed. There are also the local Native Americans with their traditions. And, there are some personal eccentricities, shaman issues and aspects of ancient Egyptian culture.

However, when a young teenage Catholic girl experiences something of the stigmata, everybody intervenes. There is her rather bigoted Catholic father who does not want to acknowledge his native American Heritage. There is her lapsed mother. There is the concerned parish priest. The Native Americans come and want to perform rituals. And, the media turn up, in the form of a Texas evangelist with his entourage, even persuading the priest to let him hold an interrogation of the stigmata girl in the church.

A tangle of personal issues. A tangle of religious issues. Some mystical aspects – even involving St Francis who himself experienced the stigmata. Touches of horror, touches of religion, touches of the corruption of divine Providence.

1. The title? Expectations? The explicit reference in the film to the native American traditions by Louis Seraphin?
2. The Canadian settings, Central Canada, the open plains, the crops? The town, homes, the church, the bar? The musical score, popular music, religious atmosphere?
3. The introduction to the town, Louis and the alcohol, the deal with the Native American, legal and illegal? Setting the tone? Louis at home, staunch and bigoted Catholic, alienated from his wife, the background story of their marriage, New York, her career, marrying, pregnant, trapped back at home, working in the garden, Luis suspecting she was having an affair? Their son, devotion to the family, going fishing with his father? Gene, her age, her life and her parents not knowing what she was doing? Family dysfunction?
4. The early sequence of the doctor, filming the hypnotism, family present, Jean, estate, the revelations, the strange experience, discolouration, bending backwards, the strange spirit, writing down the message coming from above? Resuming as normal?
5. The Catholic background, Father Luke in the church, reading the Scriptures and praying, no liturgy as such? His comments about faith, discussions with Denise? Urging her to faith and prayer? People not going to church?
6. Denise, driving, the old woman in the field, the iron trap, calling the ambulance, her death – and the later mysterious reappearances? In the field?
7. The news of Jean, in the ambulance, Jeanne waking, the blood around her head, the stigmata? In the hospital, being dead for 12 minutes, her parents present, there impatience, the calm attitude of the doctor, giving her information, rational?
8. The indication of miracles and healings in the town? Gene is recovery? The people queueing to see her, her father controlling, taking the money? His avaricious attitude, the encounter with the Pentecostal leader, visiting, bargaining for a higher check, going to the priest, wanting the percentage of the donations? Jean’s disappearance and the thwarting of his hopes? Is trying to persuade Denise that it was a good thing?
9. The native Americans, their assembly, aware of the case, the rituals, talking together, travelling, their being rejected by Louis?
10. Juniper Fairweather, mystical, Egyptian traditions, a wide travel, part of the town, leaving, Sharman, her visions, friendly, leading to where Jean had been abducted, the house, the basement, her mother finding her? The rescue?
11. The Texan Pentecostal us, the screenplay not sympathetic to him and his religious style, swagger, ambition, money, playing to the crowds, to the camera, able to cut instantly and shift mood, bargaining with Louis? Father Luke enabling him to have his meeting in the church, the crowds, his having the snake, the cameras, the interview with Jean, her confession, his reactions, threatening her, his being repelled by force? And the crowd exiting the church? The effect of the confession, able to forgive Jean or not, fear of her power?
12. Louis, the encounter with the Native American, ashamed of his tradition, telling his son he did not want suntan revealing his origins? His condemnation of the selling of the liquor to the Native Americans? His dream, the gun, shooting his wife? He himself being shot? Waking?
13. The abduction of Jean, her visions, demonic, St Francis, the stigmata, the struggle for her, her mission? The consequences, the stigmata still present, a capacity for levitating?
14. Everybody present the church, Jeanne’s confession and the reaction? Her going into the field, getting the stalks, her vision, her prayer, her disappearance? Her father going into the empty field?
15. The apocalyptic touch, the creatures, hibernation, emerging, Jeanne’s explanation to Jennifer? Their pervading the town?
16. The religious dimensions? The horror dimensions? The combination? The critique of contemporary Canadian society?