Review of The Catechism Cataclysm (2011) by Matthew S — 11 Jun 2015

I can't think of an effective way to explain or share insight into Todd Rohal's THE CATECHISM CATACLYSM much less defend why I love it so much. Robert Longstreet, as one would expect, delivers a painfully realistic performance.

While Steve Little offers an almost cartoonishly annoying take on his character. The really interesting thing is that these two very different characters are both being approached from distinctly different styles.

It doesn't take long for the the two distinctly different types of stile to combine a systematic "catalyst" to turn an ill-advised canoe trip into a deeply odd exploration into dark storytelling.

As "the stories" are spun each is presented in stark and literal manner. The connection and communication between the two characters begins to veer into unsettling moments of male-bonding to even more unsettling tension that begins to feel like their bonding is about to slither into potentially sinister sexually violent territory.

And just as you think you know where we are headed, the film morphs into something altogether unexpected. ...And quite strange and twisted. A true cinematic oddity that is more smart than it wants to admit.

If you have a twisted sense of humor and are looking to find something very different, see this. I would find it hard to believe anyone who describes this film as "dull" --- it is entertainingly strange -- and I almost cringe as I write this, but there is something charming about the whole experience.