Vortex will be giving writer/director Mark O’Brien’s black and white spiritual thriller The Righteous a theatrical and digital release in Canada on June 3rd, with a digital release, courtesy of Arrow Films, to follow in the US and the UK on June 10th. In anticipation of these release dates, we’ve gotten our hands on an EXCLUSIVE clip from The Righteous, and you can watch it in the embed above!
Starring Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible) and Mimi Kuzyk (Private Eyes), The Righteous tells the story of
Frederic, a grieving man struggling with his faith, who helps an injured young man, Aaron Smith, who stumbles onto his property one night, claiming to be lost in the woods. Frederic and his wife invite the man to stay for the night, but Frederic soon begins to have doubts about this enigmatic stranger’s story – and his motives for being there. When Aaron asks Frederic to commit an unspeakable deed, it becomes clear that the man is not who he seems, and has been sent to test the very limits of Frederic’s existence.
O’Brien plays Aaron himself. His previous acting credits include Warehouse 13, Hannibal, Republic of Doyle, How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town, Arrival, The Last Tycoon, Halt and Catch Fire, The Front Runner, Bad Times at the El Royale, Ready or Not, Marriage Story, City on a Hill, and Perry Mason. The Righteous marks his feature directorial debut, but he has directed multiple shorts and an episode of Republic of Doyle.
O’Brien provided Collider with the following statement about The Righteous:
I wanted to make a film that plays with our preconceived notions about what a movie’s genre should be, while telling a human story we may believe ourselves to be familiar with just enough to get comfortable until it surprises you once and again. A movie should evolve and expand as it plows forward, hopefully making the viewer a participant in its evolution, guessing and wondering what could be next. With this film, I think we’ve created something exciting, shocking and singular that will linger in your mind longer after the last frame.”
Will you be watching The Righteous later this month after seeing this clip? Check out our exclusive clip from the film, then let us know what you thought of it by leaving a comment below.