I saw the new horror film Leviticus, written and directed by Australian filmmaker Adrian Chiarella, and I want to get this out of the way: I liked it.
*Minor Spoilers Ahead*
“Leviticus” Review: A Grim Warning About Conversion Therapy
Dark, cruel, and unflinchingly queer, Leviticus is a ninety-minute journey of two teens facing down the painful reality of a demonic spell that is a damn near perfect stand-in for conversion therapy. When Naim (played incredibly earnestly by Joe Bird) finds himself falling for the rough-and-tumble, free spirit Ryan (played with effortless charm by Stacy Clausen), the roadwork is laid out for the conservative town they live in to turn on them.
In a wonderful nudge to the queer story, it is the son of the preacher who causes the wheels to come off and drive Naim to reveal that Ryan and the preacher’s son Hunter are hooking up. Cue the entrance of a very outwardly evil priest and a violent ritual.
I’ll leave you to see the rest of the film, but let me talk at large about it. Structurally, it is solid. From camerawork to sound, the film never hides behind its low budget, it never looks cheap, and it never stops sounding good. Early on, I will say that the sound effects are a bit biting, bordering on clipping in the mix.
Where the movie struggles is in two major areas: the plot could have been entirely avoided by a simple conversation between Naim and Ryan, and the ending comes about 10 to 15 minutes too early. I wanted Leviticus to be as terrifying as movies like Obsession and Hokum, and for one beautiful moment, the film scared the shit out of me.
If there is a sign of low budget, it is that the ending comes seemingly out of nowhere. There is no big climax where the monster really corners the heroes, and Naim’s big stand is met with more of a shrug than with a triumphant cry.
Carried by the Performances
Here at IBT, we love to give out awards, and I want to give the MVP of this film to the acting. I guess it’s a co-MVP, and it goes to Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen. What they bring to the roles and the authentic way they portray queerness never falls into stereotype or caricature. Instead, Bird plays Naim with a deep, aching sense of being lost in the world. Meanwhile, Clausen portrays Ryan with a freedom that feels so tragically pulled away from him that I had a visceral reaction in the theater.
Watching those two go through what so many queer people have gone through, and I mean in terms of the greater message, not that murderous doppelgangers plague the gay community, hurt me to my core. It felt so real, so painful, and gave me flashbacks to growing up in a conservative town with a grand total of three out gay kids in the high school (spoiler alert, I wasn’t one of them). It is a testament to Bird and Clausen, as well as writer-director Chiarella, that Naim and Ryan popped off the screen as they did. Their chemistry was palpable. And their talent was undeniable.
Overall, I gave Leviticus 3 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd; it was two jump scares short of landing in the 3 ½-to 4-star range. It is still a worthwhile watch, and one with a message that all moviegoers should experience.
I hope you’ll take this review as your sign to go see Leviticus and support indie movies!
Thanks for reading my “Leviticus” movie review. I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself, and keep an eye out for more movies, music and show recommendations! For more entertainment and sports takes, find me on Twitter @Steve_Lawson93.
