‘Conclave’ Leads All Film Nominations for the 2024 AWFJ EDA Awards

‘Conclave’ Leads All Film Nominations for the 2024 AWFJ EDA Awards

Emilia Perez, The Brutalist and Anora are among those nominated for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay

(New York, NY, December 12, 2024) – Since 2006, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) has presented annual EDA Awards, representing professional women critics’ collective perspectives on movies and cinema culture in the movie awards arena, where female critics and critical opinion are still greatly underrepresented. AWFJ honors female creatives in non-gender specific awards categories and in unique Female Focus categories designated for women only.  

This year, Edward Berger’s papal thriller CONCLAVE led all films with 9 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Adapted), Best Supporting Actress (Isabella Rossellini), Best Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Best Supporting Actor (Stanley Tucci), Best Ensemble Cast and Casting Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Jacques Audiard’s EMILIA PEREZ grabbed 8 nods with Sean Baker’s ANORA and Brady Corbet’s THE BRUTALIST garnering 7; all were nominated for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted). In the Female Focus Section, THE SUBSTANCE filmmaker Coralie Fargeat squares off with ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT’S Payal Kapadia for both Best Woman Director and Best Female Screenwriter, with Nykiya Adams (BIRD), Karla Sofia Gascon (EMILIA PEREZ) and Mikey Madison (ANORA) all among those vying for the award for Best Women’s Breakthrough Performance.

“We are proud that this year’s member-determined roster of nominees includes female contenders in non-gender specific categories, including Coralie Fargeat in the Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories, along with Payal Kapadia, who is nominated for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Film,” said Jennifer Merin, President of the 90-member AWFJ. “We hope to see similar recognition of women filmmakers at this year’s Oscars and various guild awards, as well as with other critic’s awards groups.” 

In preparation for the awards season, AWFJ tracks femme-helmed and femme-centric films released throughout the year. The 2024 list of EDA Award-eligible femme-helmed and/or femme-centric films includes more than 500 titles. Many of these female-made movies are small budget productions that receive neither wide distribution nor critical consideration. This impressive number of independently produced films indicates the high level of female filmmaker proactivity in contradiction to the grim statistics consistently reported in major studies about female film production. AWFJ advocates for acknowledgment of these films and recognition for their filmmakers, not only during awards season, but throughout the year with the Movie of the Week feature published every Monday on AWFJ.org, and other regular features. 

The EDAs are named in honor of AWFJ founder Merin’s mother, Eda Reiss Merin, a stage, film and television actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. A dedicated foot soldier in the industry, Eda was one of the founders of AFTRA and a long-standing member of AMPAS. EDA is also an acronym for Excellent Dynamic Activism, qualities shared by Eda Reiss Merin, AWFJ members and those honored with EDA Awards.

Here is the list of nominees:

Nickel Boys

OFFICIAL 2024 EDA AWARDS NOMINATIONS 

BEST OF AWARDS
BEST FILM 

  • ANORA
  • CONCLAVE
  • EMILIA PEREZ
  • NICKEL BOYS
  • SING SING
  • THE BRUTALIST
  • THE SUBSTANCE
  • WICKED

BEST DIRECTOR

  • JACQUES AUDIARD – EMILIA PEREZ
  • SEAN BAKER – ANORA
  • EDWARD BERGER – CONCLAVE
  • BRADY CORBET – THE BRUTALIST
  • CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
  • PAYAL KAPADIA – ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
The Substance

BEST SCREENPLAY, ORIGINAL

  • ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT – PAYAL KAPADIA
  • ANORA – SEAN BAKER
  • A REAL PAIN – JESSE EISENBERG
  • HARD TRUTHS – MIKE LEIGH
  • THE SUBSTANCE – CORALIE FARGEAT
  • THE BRUTALIST – BRADY CORBET AND MONA FASTVOLD

BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED

  • CONCLAVE – PETER STRAUGHAN, ROBERT HARRIS
  • EMILIA PEREZ – JACQUES AUDIARD, THOMAS BIDEGAIN, LEA MYSIUS
  • NICKEL BOYS – RaMell ROSS, JOSLYN BARNES, COLSON WHITEHEAD
  • NOSFERATU – ROBERT EGGERS
  • SING SING – JOHN H. RICHARDSON, BRENT BUELL, CLINT BENTLEY
  • THE WILD ROBOT – CHRIS SANDERS, PETER BROWN
Black Box Diaries

BEST DOCUMENTARY

  • BLACK BOX DIARIES – SHIDORI ITO
  • DAHOMEY – MATI DIOP
  • DAUGHTERS – ANGELA PATTON, NATALIE RAE
  • THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN – SUE KIM
  • SUGARCANE – EMILY KASSIE, JASON BRAVE NOISECAT
  • WILL & HARPER – JOSH GREENBAUM

BEST ANIMATED FILM

  • FLOW
  • HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS
  • INSIDE OUT 2
  • MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
  • THE WILD ROBOT
  • WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
Wicked

BEST ACTRESS 

  • CYNTHIA ERIVO – WICKED
  • KARLA SOFIA GASCON – EMILIA PEREZ
  • MARIANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE – HARD TRUTHS
  • MIKEY MADISON – ANORA
  • DEMI MOORE – THE SUBSTANCE
  • JUNE SQUIBB – THEMA

BEST ACTRESS, SUPPORTING 

  • JOAN CHEN – DIDI
  • DANIELLE DEADWYLER – THE PIANO LESSON
  • AUNJANUE ELLIS-TAYLOR – NICKEL BOYS
  • MARGARET QUALLEY – THE SUBSTANCE
  • ISABELLA ROSSELLINI – CONCLAVE
  • ZOE SALDANA – EMILIA PEREZ

BEST ACTOR 

  • ADRIEN BRODY – THE BRUTALIST
  • DANIEL CRAIG – QUEER
  • COLMAN DOMINGO – SING SING
  • RALPH FIENNES – CONCLAVE
  • HUGH GRANT – HERETIC
  • SEBASTIAN STAN – THE APPRENTICE

BEST ACTOR, SUPPORTING 

  • YURA BORISOV – ANORA
  • KIERAN CULKIN – A REAL PAIN
  • CLARENCE MACLIN – SING SING
  • GUY PEARCE – THE BRUTALIST
  • STANLEY TUCCI – CONCLAVE
  • DENZEL WASHNGTON – GLADIATOR II
Saturday Night

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST AND CASTING DIRECTOR

  • ANORA
  • CHALLENGERS
  • CONCLAVE
  • EMILIA PEREZ
  • SATURDAY NIGHT
  • WICKED

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 

  • CONCLAVE
  • DUNE II
  • NICKEL BOYS
  • NOSFERATU
  • THE BRUTALIST
  • WICKED

BEST EDITING

  • ANORA
  • CONCLAVE
  • EMILIA PEREZ
  • FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA
  • THE BRUTALIST
  • THE SUBSTANCE
All We Imagine As Light

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

  • ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
  • DAHOMEY
  • EMILIA PEREZ
  • FLOW
  • LA CHIMERA
  • THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST WOMAN DIRECTOR 

  • ANDREA ARNOLD – BIRD
  • GIA COPPOLA – THE LAST SHOWGIRL
  • CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
  • PAYAL KAPADIA – ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
  • MEGAN PARK – MY OLD ASS
  • ALICE ROHRWACHER – LA CHIMERA
My Old Ass

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST FEMALE SCREENWRITER 

  • ANDREA ARNOLD – BIRD
  • CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
  • PAYAL KAPADIA – ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
  • MEGAN PARK – MY OLD ASS
  • ALICE ROHRWACHER – LA CHIMERA
  • ERICA TREMBLAY, MICIANA ALISE – FANCY DANCE

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST ANIMATED/VOICED PERFORMANCE

  • AYO EDEBIRI – INSIDE OUT 2
  • MAYA HAWKE – INSIDE OUT 2
  • LUPITA NYONG’O – THE WILD ROBOT
  • AMY POEHLER – INSIDE OUT 2
  • SARAH SNOOK – MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
  • JACKI WEAVER – MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
Emilia Perez

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST WOMEN’S BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

  • NYKIYA ADAMS – BIRD
  • KARLA SOFIA GASCON – EMILIA PEREZ
  • MIKEY MADISON – ANORA
  • KATY O’BRIAN – LOVE LIES BLEEDING
  • JUNE SQUIBB – THELMA
  • MAISY STELLA – MY OLD ASS

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST STUNT PERFORMANCE 

  • NIKKI BERWICK – STUNT COORDINATOR, GLADIATOR II
  • ALEX JAY (for ZENDAYA) – DUNE II
  • HAYLEY WRIGHT (for ANYA TAYLOR-JOY) – FURIOSA
  • KATY O’BRIAN – LOVE LIES BLEEDING
  • CAILEE SPAENY – ALIEN ROMULUS
  • JUNE SQUIBB – THELMA
June Squibb as “Thelma.”

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Inc. (AWFJ) is a not-for-profit professional association of highly qualified female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media, dedicated to supporting work by and about women – both in front of and behind the cameras – through intra-group promotional activities, outreach programs and by presenting awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments (the best and worst) by and about women in the movies. AWFJ was founded in 2006 by Jennifer Merin, Maitland McDonagh, Joanna Langfield and Jenny Halper. In addition to the year end awards, AWFJ presents EDA Awards at partner festivals, keeps an active and interactive record of fiction feature and documentary films by and/or about women, and/or are of particular interest to women because they focus on women’s issues. We welcome information that will allow us to keep our lists updated. Lists are made available to members and the general public on our Web site at AWFJ.org. For further information, contact AWFJ President Jennifer Merin at awfjinc@gmail.com.

St Louis Film Critics Assn Announces Nominations for 2024 Awards

St Louis Film Critics Assn Announces Nominations for 2024 Awards

“Dune: Part Two” leads with 12 nominations, followed by “The Brutalist” with 9, “Wicked” and “Conclave” each with 8, “Nickel Boys” with 6, and “Sing Sing” with 5.

“Dune: Part Two” may have been released Feb. 25, but the St. Louis Film Critics Association recognized this action-science fiction epic with 12 nominations for Denis Villeneuve’s world-building visual artistry.

The massive spectacle was mentioned in film, director, ensemble, adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing, production design, music score, costume design, visual effects, action film, and best scene categories.

The epic historical drama “The Brutalist” earned nine nominations for film, director Brady Corbet, actor Adrien Brody, supporting actor Guy Pearce, original screenplay, cinematography, editing, production design and music score.

 The religious political thriller “Conclave” received eight nominations for film, director Edward Berger, actor Ralph Fiennes, supporting actor Stanley Tucci, ensemble, adapted screenplay, production design and music score.

Also with eight, the musical adaptation and pop culture phenomenon “Wicked” was nominated for film, actress Cynthia Erivo, supporting actress Ariana Grande, ensemble, adapted screenplay, costume design, production design, and soundtrack.

“Nickel Boys” was cited in six categories for film, director, supporting actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, adapted screenplay, cinematography and editing. “Sing Sing” received five – film, actor Colman Domingo, supporting actor Clarence Maclin, adapted screenplay, and ensemble.

“A Complete Unknown,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” and  “The Wild Robot” each garnered four nominations.

SLFCA announced nominations Dec. 8; awards will be announced Dec. 15.

In addition to determining nominations in 26 categories, the regional critics’ group recognized film industry professionals for three special merits

Mohammad Rasoulof at the Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Getty Images.

Special Merit: Iranian Director Mohammad Rasoulof and the cast/crew of “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” for their courage and persistence in confronting political oppression in the pursuit of artistic expression and portraying truth through film.

Special Merit: Pete Timmermann, director of Webster University’s Film Series in St. Louis, for his exceptional, expert programming of international, restored, and independent films, including fiction and nonfiction, animation and live action, in addition to special events. His superb offerings for the St. Louis film community enriches and expands our cinematic world.  

Special Merit: Filmmakers who found creative uses for practical effects and were less reliant on digitized computer-generated graphics this year, such as hair and makeup artist Christine Brundell using puppetry and prosthetics, in collaboration with director Tim Burton, on “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”; makeup effects director Pierre Oliver Pierson on “The Substance” prosthetics; the micro budget DIY home computer effects from director Mike Cheslik for “Hundreds of Beavers”; the no-green-screen creature work on “Alien: Romulus” with animatronics and puppetry, among other collaborations by director Fede Alvarez; and the “Wicked” production design by Nathan Crowley where he merged practical imagery with CGI throughout, and grew 9  million tulips for Munchkinland.

Founded in 2004, the St. Louis Film Critics Association is a nonprofit organization of professional film reviewers who regularly publish current and timely film criticism, support local productions and festivals, and enhance public education, awareness, and appreciation of films. Vetted members are affiliated with qualifying media outlets in the St. Louis metropolitan region.

For the awards, eligible films are those that opened in the greater St. Louis area or had an online premiere during the 2024 calendar year – including those films that were given awards-qualifying runs but aren’t slated for release until early 2025.

For more information, visit the site: www.stlfilmcritics.org

Adrien Brody as “The Brutalist.” A24 Films.

Full List of Nominations:

BEST FILM

Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
September 5
Sing Sing
Wicked

BEST DIRECTOR

Edward Berger “Conclave”
Brady Corbet “The Brutalist”
Mohammad Rasoulof “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
RaMell Ross “Nickel Boys”
Denis Villeneuve “Dune: Part Two”

Colman Domingo in “Sing Sing.” A24 Films.


BEST ACTOR

Adrien Brody “The Brutalist”
Timothee Chalamet “A Complete Unknown”
Daniel Craig “Queer”
Colman Domingo “Sing Sing”
Ralph Fiennes “Conclave”
Hugh Grant “Heretic”


BEST ACTRESS

Pamela Anderson “The Last Showgirl”
Cynthia Erivo “Wicked”
Marianne Jean-Baptiste “Hard Truths”
Mikey Madison “Anora”
Demi Moore “The Substance”
Saoirse Ronan “The Outrun”

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg “A Real Pain.” Searchlight.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kieran Culkin “A Real Pain”
Clarence Maclin “Sing Sing”
Guy Pearce “The Brutalist”
Stanley Tucci “Conclave”
Denzel Washington “Gladiator II”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Monica Barbaro “A Complete Unknown”
Danielle Deadwyler “The Piano Lesson”
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor “Nickel Boys”
Ariana Grande “Wicked”
Zoe Saldana “Emilia Perez”

BEST ENSEMBLE

Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Saturday Night
Sing Sing
Wicked

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Peter Straughan, “Conclave”
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, “Dune: Part Two”
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes, “Nickel Boys”
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield, “Sing Sing”
Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox “Wicked”

Saturday Night. Columbia Pictures.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Sean Baker, “Anora”
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, “The Brutalist”
Mike Leigh, “Hard Truths”
Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”
Jason Reitman, Gil Kenan, “Saturday Night”
Mohammad Rasoulo, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Lol Crawley, “The Brutalist”
Greig Fraser, “Dune: Part Two”
Edward Lachman, “Maria”
Jarin Blaschke, “Nosferatu”
Jomo Fray, “Nickel Boys”

BEST EDITING

Dávid Jancsó, “The Brutalist”
Joe Walker, “Dune: Part Two”
Nicholas Monsour, “Nickel Boys”
Nathan Orloff, Shane Reid, “Saturday Night”
Hansjörg Weißbrich, “September 5”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Judy Becker, “The Brutalist”
Suzie Davies, Roberta Federico, “Conclave”
Zsuzsanna Sipos, Shane Vieau, Patrice Vermette, “Dune: Part Two”
Beatrice Brentnerova, Paul Ghirardani, Craig Lathrop, “Nosferatu”
Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales, “Wicked”

“Wicked.” Universal Pictures.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Jacqueline West, “Dune: Part Two”
Casey Harris, “Hundreds of Beavers”
Massimo Cantini Parrini, “Maria”
Linda Muir, “Nosferatu”
Paul Tazewell, “Wicked”

BEST MUSIC SCORE

Daniel Blumberg, “The Brutalist”
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, “Challengers”
Volker Bertelmann, “Conclave”
Hans Zimmer, “Dune: Part 2”
Kris Bowers, “The Wild Robot”

“A Complete Unknown.” Searchlight.

BEST SOUNDTRACK

A Complete Unknown
Deadpool & Wolverine
I Saw the TV Glow
Maria
Wicked


BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE

Maya Hawke “Inside Our 2”
Lupita Nyong’o “The Wild Robot”
Pedro Pascal “The Wild Robot”
Amy Poehler “Inside Out 2”
Sarah Snook “Memoir of a Snail”


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“Alien: Romulus” – Eric Barba, Shane Mahan, Nelson Sepulveda
“Dune: Part Two” – Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, Gerd Nefzer
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” – Andrew Jackson, Dan Bethell, Eric Whipp, Andy Williams
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” – Erik Winquist, Danielle Immerman, Paul Story
“Nosferatu” – Angela Barso, Lisa Wakeley

BEST STUNTS

Deadpool & Wolverine
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Gladiator II
Monkey Man

“The Fall Guy.”

BEST ACTION FILM

Deadpool & Wolverine
Dune: Part Two
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Monkey Man

The Wild Robot. Dreamworks.


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

BEST COMEDY

Deadpool & Wolverine
The Fall Guy
Hundreds of Beavers
A Real Pain
Saturday Night

BEST HORROR

Heretic. A24 Films.

Heretic
I Saw the TV Glow
Late Night with the Devil
Longlegs
Nosferatu
The Substance

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Daughters
Will & Harper
Music by John Williams
No Other Land
Sugarcane
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

“Emilia Perez.” Netflix

BEST INTERNATIONAL

All We Imagine as Light
Dahomey
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Emilia Perez
The Seed of The Sacred Fig


BEST FIRST FEATURE
Annie Baker “Janet Planet”
Anna Kendrick “Woman of the Hour”
Josh Margolin “Thelma”
Dev Patel “Monkey Man”
RaMell Ross “Nickel Boys”
Malcolm Washington “The Piano Lesson”


BEST SCENE

Civil War – “What kind of American are you?”
Dune: Part Two – Riding the Sandworm
The Substance – New Year’s Eve performance
Furiosa – War Rig battle
His Three Daughters – Dad’s Chair

“Civil War” – A24 Films.

Hugh Grant Embraces Evil in Impressive Horror-Thriller ‘Heretic’

Hugh Grant Embraces Evil in Impressive Horror-Thriller ‘Heretic’

By Alex McPherson

In large part due to a deliciously sinister performance from Hugh Grant, co-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ “Heretic” is a taut, suspenseful slice of horror that strikes an unwieldy but entertaining balance between big ideas and blood-soaked chills.

We follow two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher), on a seemingly innocent quest to proselytize about the tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) in a small mountain town.

Sister Paxton has been a member all her life, her faith passed down to her by her parents. Sister Barnes is a more recent convert — trauma-hardened and steadfast, finding in Mormonism a way to cope with past family tragedy. 

Paxton and Barnes travel door-to-door and are used to being turned away, even publicly humiliated, but when they’re invited to the home of an older gentleman named Mr. Reed (Grant), they see a chance for a new convert — potentially Paxton’s first! When they show up at Mr. Reed’s deceivingly modest cottage, everything seems fine, initially.

A thunderstorm is raging, so Mr. Reed (donning a cozy cardigan) welcomes Paxton and Barnes inside, reassuring them that his wife is in the kitchen baking a blueberry pie.

But all is certainly not as it seems. Mr. Reed, radiating charisma (Grant’s specialty), begins to poke at Paxton and Barnes’ beliefs — questioning their personal histories in the Church as well as, in an awkward shift, how they square the Church’s doctrines with Joseph Smith’s practice of polygamy. The Sisters (especially Barnes) push back against his assertions.

Mr. Reed’s mansplaining leaves little room for counterargument, and the Sisters uncomfortably balance standing up for themselves with going along for the sake of getting to leave the house sooner. At least, that’s what they’re hoping. 

But remember that blueberry pie? Barnes notices that its smell is being simulated by a scented candle on the living room table. The front door is also locked, and, thus, they’re forced to venture further into Reed’s puzzle-box-esque abode. Reed is certainly not finished with his pop-culture-laden TED talks on the nature of faith as business. And the Sisters must play along, or else, as Reed ultimately seeks to sell them on what he views as the “Ultimate Religion.”

Beck and Woods’ film — for all its “high-minded” talk of faith and free will — prizes entertainment above much else. It’s a haunted-house-monster movie with a pompous mansplainer strutting his stuff, reasonable conversation be damned.

Although the well-crafted suspense and incisive dialogue of the first half devolves into rushed twists later on, “Heretic” ascends to new levels of enlightenment thanks to a wonderfully creepy performance from Grant, who uses his characteristic charm to fiendish ends.

In a just world, Grant would be in the awards consideration. Committing completely to the film’s over-the-top swings, he renders Mr. Reed a deceivingly plausible villain, disguising his rotten core beneath a veneer of interpersonal niceties. There’s an obvious glee in the way he manipulates the Sisters.

Mr. Reed is giddy at another chance to voice himself, luring the vulnerable into his lair and daring them to fight back, with no “correct” answers to the questions he poses. 

It’s impossible to take your eyes off Grant whenever he’s on screen. He’s definitely evil, but there’s a strange appeal in watching him walk Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes towards their fates, and “Heretic” doesn’t discount the incisive points he makes about modern religion. Rather, it acknowledges their validity while underlining the real horror at play — the insidious ways Mr. Reed imposes his views on others.

The film refuses to make a statement on the literal “truth” of religion itself, zeroing in on the psychological functions it can serve instead.

Mr. Reed is high off his own ego and his alleged understanding of human behavior, wrapping his takedown of religion around the idea of iteration, with every new belief system building upon the other in the name of the wealthy and privileged exerting power over the masses.

He throws in everything from Monopoly to Lana Del Rey to the “Star Wars” prequels to illustrate his point, complete with a blasphemous impression of Jar Jar Binks. It’s to the film’s, and Grant’s, credit that Mr. Reed never becomes too irritating.

The rest of the film, while not operating quite on the same level as Grant, impresses nevertheless. East and Thatcher are capable leads — likable from the first scene onwards, and never letting their characters slide into caricature. Thatcher’s world-weary turn conveys Sister Barnes’ hurt and perseverance. East, with a bubbly screen presence, conveys Sister Paxton’s relative innocence and surprising layers. 

Philip Messina’s production design is outstanding in how off-kilter it makes the Reed residence seem — a twisted puzzle-box of interlocking parts that Mr. Reed maintains like a master conductor. Chung Chung-hoon’s cinematography reflects this idea, confidently flowing throughout spaces as if pre-ordained to do so, smoothly on-rails and mechanical, also using close-ups to suspenseful effect.

Beck and Woods’ wry screenplay incorporates plenty of humor throughout its accessible discussions of faith and control, and it delights in misdirection. It’s disappointing that third-act twists (particularly Mr. Reed’s final intentions) are spelled out so bluntly, however, somewhat abandoning the slow-burn satisfaction of what came before.

Indeed, when “Heretic” opts for more standard horror movie set-pieces (bringing plenty of blood and gore to the table) and reveals that stray far from believable, it’s less easy to become swept up in. And the ending, while thought-provoking and up to interpretation, is still frustratingly abrupt.

This remains one of the year’s stronger horror films in a year that’s already been full of them. Watch it for Grant if nothing else. His acting chops are certainly not up for debate.

“Heretic” is a 2024 psychological thriller-horror film written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, and starring Hugh Grant, Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher. It is rated R for some bloody violence and the runtime is 1 hour, 51 minutes. It opened in theaters Nov. 8. Alex’s Grade: B+.