Break out your church fan and a glass of wine! You’ll need them both while settling in for this rollercoaster of laughter and tension. The colorfully dark satire that is “Honk For Jesus, Save Your Soul,” explores the seemingly “Taboo-To-Talk-About” side of MegaChurch culture.
Employing a faux-documentary approach to storytelling, Adamma Ebo has beautifully navigated the world of Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown) and Trinitie Childs (Regina Hall).
“I wanted to incorporate faux-documentary style because I was interested in this nebulous area of what is the truth and what isn’t the truth.” Ebo said. “People take documentaries as fact and I was intrigued by the lead characters not telling the truth while the documentary cameras were on and then telling the truth when the cameras were off. It shows the Black megachurch culture, which is theater and entertainment, while being very true and meaningful for people.”
The film follows a proud Southern Baptist megachurch first lady, Trinitie Childs, who carries immense responsibility on her shoulders. Her church, Wander To Greater Paths, once served a congregation in the tens of thousands, but after a scandal involving her husband forced the church to close temporarily, Trinitie is struggling to manage the aftermath. Now Trinitie and Lee-Curtis must rebuild their congregation and reconcile their faith by all means necessary to make the biggest comeback that commodified religion has ever seen.
The story is so cleverly crafted that you may find yourself rooting for the flashy troubled couple. All the while judging Trinitie’s decision to stick it out and Lee-Curtis’ complete lack of self-awareness.
Regina Hall delivers a hilarious and heartbreaking performance as the preacher’s wife. Trinitie’s complete and utter devotion to her husband is enough to drive the sane to insanity; always donned in an opulent church hat and willing to put on whatever face is required to save their church and his reputation. From the films open, we can sense the troubled waters they tread as Hall’s layered yet nuanced character choices shine bright.
Starring opposite Hall, Sterling K. Brown is perfectly cast as the chiseled- Prada suit rocking-philandering pastor. Hated by many and adored by few, Lee-Curtis is a shiny oxymoron served up on a delicious platter of self-hate and contradiction. Brown masterfully portrays a troubled pastor on the road to redemption. From heartfelt sermons to extreme outbursts aimed at his wife, we see the many sides of a boisterous man who can’t verbalize his own truths loud enough to save himself.
Colorful, Loud, Dark and Beautiful sum up the work of Ebo and her lead cast in this hilarious and heartbreaking satire.
MEET THE ARTIST
ADAMMA EBO & ADANNE EBO
Adamma Ebo is an American Nigerian writer-director who graduated from Spelman College and UCLA TFT. She is writing partners with her twin sister, Adanne Ebo. Their upcoming credits include Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith series, run by Donald Glover, and Julie Plec and Greg Berlanti’s The Girls on the Bus for The CW. Ebo recently directed an episode of Atlanta.
CREDITS:
Director – Screenwriter: Adamma Ebo
Producer: Daniel Kaluuya, Adanne Ebo, Rowan Riley, Amandla Crichlow, Jesse Burgum, Matthew Cooper
Produced by: Kara Durrett, Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown
Executive Producer: Will Greenfield, Carolina Groppa, Lucy Keith
Editor: Ali Greer, Stacy Moon
Director of Photography: Alan Gwizdowski
Production Designer: John Collins
Music by: Marcus Norris
Music Supervisor: Philippe Pierre
Casting Director: Shannon Reis
Principal Cast: Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown
Run Time: 102 min
Loading…