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Absolute Vow
USA 2017
produced by Jared Masters (executive), Kansas Bowling (associate), Reese Lester (associate), Seth Metoyer (associate), Geo Sargent (associate) for Frolic Pictures
directed by Jared Masters
starring Parker Love Bowling, Kansas Bowling, Rodney Bingenheimer, Lloyd Kaufman, Aki Aleong, Meg Dick, Dawna Lee Heising, Kalvin Madsen, Daphne Fischer, Dannah Hooper, Marley Uribe, Sierra Renfro, Troy Alexander, Aaron Berjohn, Dallas Chandler, Art Roberts, Thomas Ronca, Taylor Victoria, Alfredo Trueba, Laura Wight, Valiera Feldman, Princess Frank, Joan Apperson, Ned Casual, Walter Hochbrueckner, Wendy Pauline McKinney, Peter Rodkey, Vera R. Taylor
written by Jared Masters, music by Federico Ferrandina, Rob Meijer, Lionel Schmitt
Jesus Christ
review by Mike Haberfelner
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1,000 BC: Jephthah (Art Roberts) promised to sacrifice his virgin
daughter (Parker Love Bowling) to God if God helps him usurp some
neighbouring tribes - which God does. And the girl, who's pious and chaste
as can be, is happy to submit to his father's wish, but asks to be granted
to wander the mountains for 60 days with her best friends (Kansas Bowling,
Meg Dick, Daphne Fisher, Dannah Hooper, Marley Uribe, Sierra Renfro) to do
some proper pre-sacrificial mourning. But this retreat into the mountains
is not as frictionless as our heroine might have wished, as her friends
don't want her to die, think her unconditional faith is foolish, try to
make her find happiness (even in carnal sin) before her untimely death,
and ultimately leave her behind when her piousness becomes too
overbearing. Also, our virgin meets many a character that make her
question her path, including a demon (Aaron Berjohn), an angel (Dawna Lee
Heising), a prophet (Aki Aleong), a magician (Lloyd Kaufman), even Christ
the Redeemer (Troy Alexander) for 10 centuries in her future, and, more
profanely, a shepherd (Kalvin Madsen) she kind of falls in love with (and
vice versa). But will any of these encounters bring this story to a
happier ending than was predestined? This movie is very
probably the most unusual entry into the rather unusual filmography of
exploitation filmmaker Jared Masters, as it is an actual bible adaptation
(Judges, 11:29-39), recounting, and pardon me for saying so, one of the
more cruel bible stories that doesn't shed too favourable a light on God
himself. And Masters isn't one to sugar-coat the story at all, instead he
gives his own interpretation of it, which despite using many a page of
your typical exploitation filmmaker's book (yep, there's sex and violence
in this film ... just like in the bible in fact), does come across as
intelligent, even thoughtful. From a stylistical point of view, it
certainly shows that this movie was made on a low budget, as it was shot
almost 100% outdoors with no actual "sets", just what mother
nature provides, and using almost exclusively natural light ... but that's
part of the film's charm, as in refusing all the pomp that usually comes
with bible adaptations, one gets a more intimate insight into the story at
hand. Weirdly enough, this also puts Absolute Vow in line with low
budget bible adaptations from decades ago made mostly by local churches
for local distribution ... which adds sort of an extra charm to things. Definitely
an unusual movie, but definitely worth watching, especially if one's not
into bible adaptations as such.
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