At least on paper, the House of Affirmation sounds like a
wonderful idea, a treatment center for pedophile priests, founded by a
Catholic priest with pedophile tendencies in a rare case of
self-reflection. Of course, what went on behind the walls of this house
was not as much therapy as it was a safe place for priests to live out
their tendencies - as told by one of their victims ... Now this
certainly is not an easy subject, especially when told by one who was
directly affected by it - but writer/director Skip Shea, victim of
clerical abuse, has decided to take the bull by the horns and call things
by their names rather than pussy-footing around the subject. And the
result is ... fun, actually, as instead of presenting us with the hard,
depressing facts, this story is told via excerpts from his own one man stage
show Catholic (Survivng Abuse and Other Dead End
Roads) from the early 2000s that puts a darkly satirical spin on the
subject - and it works rather beautifully in conjunction with the imagery
Shea has chosen to accompany his spoken words, pictures that often serve
as an ironic counterpoint to what he says, and that give the film depth
without being overbearing - it all resulting in a very compelling and
nevertheless also very entertaining movie.
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