Our Father (United States) by Jannelle Christa
Narrative Short Films / Cannes International Film Week
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18m
A priest, haunted by the consequences of faith, finds his world upended when he unknowingly baptizes a man who confesses only to unnamed sins. The priest soon discovers that his new convert is a calculating killer, driven by a twisted need to absolve his own guilt through violence against those he believes are sinners. Convinced that each murder is a form of penance, the killer forces the priest into a crisis of morality, faith, and duty—challenging the very bedrock of his beliefs.
As the body count rises, the priest’s sanctuary transforms into a battleground of conscience, where the boundaries between salvation and damnation become dangerously blurred. Wrestling with his teachings that only God can judge, he is repeatedly drawn into the killer’s dark logic and becomes tormented by his own complicity, guilt, and powerlessness. His desperation to protect innocent lives drives him to reconsider the meaning of justice, mercy, and redemption.
With each new escalation, the film plunges deeper into psychological tension, exploring the cost of taking judgment into one’s own hands. In a devastating climax, the priest is compelled to confront the killer—leading to an act of violence that shatters his faith and leaves lingering questions about sin, forgiveness, and human frailty. “Our Father” offers a harrowing, morally complex portrait of a soul tested by the very tenets it seeks to uphold.
Running time: 00:18:57
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