Twist of Faith (2004)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Kirby Dick

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A man confronts the trauma of past sexual abuse as a boy by a Catholic priest only to find his decision shatters his relationships with his family, community and faith. |

Plot Keywords:

Sexual Abuse | Catholic Priest | Gay Interest | Child Molestation

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Jeff Anderson	...	Himself - Interviewee
Barbara Blaine	...	Herself - SNAP President
David Clohessy	...	Himself - SNAP Executive Director
Sandy Comes	...	Herself
Tony Comes	...	Himself
Wendy Comes	...	Herself
Robert Donnelly	...	Auxillary Bishop of Toledo
Dennis Gray	...	Himself
Catherine Hoolahan	...	Herself - Tony's Attorney
Dennis O'Loughlin	...	Himself
Mike Sallah	...	Himself - Investigative Reporter, Toledo Blade
Jon Schoonmaker	...	Himself
Father John Shiffler	...	Himself - John Charles Shiffler
Matthew Simon	...	Himself
Father Stephen Stanbery	...	Himself (as Father Stanbery)
Claudia Vercellotti	...	Herself
David Yonke	...	Himself - Religion Editor, Toledo Blade

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Brazil:16

Filming Locations:

Dayton, Ohio, USA

Company:

Chain Camera Pictures

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Dispensing Morality/Paul Barresi/Twist of Faith (#7.19)" (2005)

Wow...This one will stick for a while

As someone who was raised Catholic in Toledo, I found this very well-done, low-budget film to be incredibly compelling and real. While I personally never experienced abuse, many of my classmates and I had very strong relationships with the priests that worked in our parishes and schools. Watching on film the Archbishop (who was present at my Confirmation) so badly handle the revelation of the abuse was hard. But this film helped me understand the full ramifications of the abuse scandal. I liked that the film never allows itself to overly dramatize what is an incredibly painful and divisive situation. It simply shows the real impact of sexual abuse on a single man and his family. I just read another comment for this film, and it was less about the film and more about a particular viewer's political views on Church abuse. That anyone could watch this film and question the motivation of Comes is really difficult to imagine and sad. But of course -- as the film shows -- many people find it easier to further persecute victims of abuse than face the truth about the leaders of their faith.