News for the Church

News for the Church (2004)

*** (out of 4)

Extremely well made short about a young Catholic woman (Nora-Jane No one) who goes to see her Priest (Jarlath Conroy) so that she can confess a one night stand. The editing and cinematography to this short is among the best I've seen in any recent film and first time director McCarthy (Weekend at Bernie's) does a great job at telling the story. It appears the film is a slam at the Catholic church for being so hard on sex yet letting child abuse go as if it were a lesser crime. The story of the girl and the Priest is mixed with another story and the way it's edited makes the film come off very powerful in the end.

I was fortunate to be among the audience members present for the Rhode Island International Film Festival opening night screening of NEWS FOR THE CHURCH. I say fortunate not because of the famous actor turned director connected to the film, but because the film is beautiful in its rendering, the story compelling in its pace, and the acting [mostly] honest and fresh. I am an avid fan of short films, which I believe are the poetry of the film world. Those who participate in the production of shorts do so out of a passion for film and cinematic storytelling. It's definitely not a get rich ever--or even a break even--medium. The passion that drives short-form filmmakers is similar to that which drives poets, and NEWS is no exception. It is simply beautiful. Cinematic ally, I would liken it to THE BOOK AND THE ROSE, which garnered several awards during its festival run two years ago and which was also, coincidentally, based upon a short story. As the Grand Prize winner at Rhode Island's Festival, NEWS is also eligible for an Academy Nomination. It has the potential to go all the way--and I hope Academy members will not only nominate it for the Short Film category, but also give it the nod it deserves on the night of the awards. Congratulations cast and crew on a fabulous film! (Incidentally, I am not only a fan of mini masterpieces, but I also teach Short Script Writing courses at the University of New Hampshire, and will begin teaching Short Script Writing Workshops this fall--starting in Rhode Island where I am also the Festival's ScriptBiz Director, which I guess illustrates my bias as well as my [limited] knowledge of the form.)

Please put the "Brat Pack" label away... there's a new label for Mr. McCarthy: Director. Eloquent, Inspired, Skilled Director. I was honored not only to screen my own film along side News from the Church, but to also appear on a panel with Andrew at the Palm Springs International Film Festival of Short Films. His film is phenomenal... not just by it's technical merits (cinematography, editing, etc.), but particularly it's story content and how it was so beautifully told by Andrew and the actors. I won't go into a synopsis (I'm sure another review somewhere will give you that). But I watched the film not knowing much about what I was going to see, and I was bowled over by it. If this film doesn't have a long life on the festival circuit, I'll be shocked.