A Closer Walk with Thee Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

A Closer Walk with Thee Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 17, 2017

“A Closer Walk with Thee” is described as a “Homoerotic Evangelical exorcism film.” Perhaps that’s all the review certain viewers will need. It’s a curious effort from writer/directors John C. Clark and Brie Williams, who are clearly after something with the work that concerns the uncomfortable relationship between religion and desire, with longing mutating into supernatural events during what’s largely a static thriller. The helmers aims for a Lynch-ian mood of unease and askew sexuality, but they don’t have the technical seasoning to pull off a few wilder ideas, keeping “A Closer Walk with Three” limited in its ability to beguile and terrify.

“A Closer Walk with Thee” isn’t provocative, but there are small triumphs here and there, including a cast working very hard to shake up the stillness of the endeavor. It’s a no-budget production and looks it, but the actors put in the effort to get certain behaviors up and moving, also selling the concept of duality and possession that plague the missionary characters, who are tasked with bringing the word of God into a gang-infested neighborhood, only to struggle with their own confusing feelings. Fantasies are teased and the Devil lurks near, but the directors often needlessly throttle their own work, which never snowballs as determinedly as Clark and Williams imagine.

A Closer Walk with Thee Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers what's expected from a production captured with commercial-grade cameras. "A Closer Walk with Thee" features a flat HD look, but clarity is just fine, picking up on what little decoration is found in the film, while facial particulars are crisp, helping to identify emotion and minor make-up achievements. Color emerges as intended, with a drained, almost black and white look to the picture shocked to life with flashes of hotter colors, including sinful and bloody reds. And, for some reason, the characters really enjoy blue food, which pops here. Delineation is stable.

A Closer Walk with Thee Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't explosive, but it's mindful of some atmospherics, handling room interiors with slight echo, and outdoor excursions offer a neighborhood presence. Dialogue exchanges are satisfactory, securing dramatic endeavors. Charged encounters escalate without distortion.

A Closer Walk with Thee Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features directors Brie Williams and John C. Clark.

• And a Trailer (1:35, HD) is included.

A Closer Walk with Thee Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"A Closer Walk with Thee" does serve up some oddity with possession sequences, and the picture's sexuality is intriguing, successfully selling the torment of suppression, especially under the weight of faith. But there's definitely a short film vibe to the effort that's hard to shake, with Williams and Clark struggling to stretch the feature to 90 minutes, filling it with superfluous dialogue and scenes of conflict, which doesn't help the material's desire to become a slow, sinister crawl to doom.