Fresh
West's found-footage structure doesn't always entirely make sense, but it's easy to forgive "The Sacrament" its flaws.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
Overview
Two journalists set out to document their friend's journey to reunite with his estranged sister. They track her to an undisclosed location where they are welcomed into the remote world of "Eden Parish," a self-sustained rural utopia composed of nearly two hundred members and overseen by a mysterious leader known only as "Father." It quickly becomes evident to the newcomers that this paradise may not be as it seems. Eden Parish harbors a twisted secret. What started as just another documentary shoot soon becomes a fight for survival.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
62%
Tomatometer
Rotten
The first half is a cautiously dread-inducing tour de force... The second half, however, when all hell breaks loose a little too quickly, is the disappointment.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Rotten
Everything that happens is what you'd expect, and the choice of subject and the modifications West has made to the generic conventions don't add much to the suspense or thrills.
Peter Keough, Boston Globe
Rotten
The Sacrament may not be a good movie, but it has enough virtues - enough gripping, well-put-together moments - that it made me reconsider my opinion of West as a director.
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture
Rotten
The tension fizzles as The Sacrament narrows into predictability, indulging every cliche of found-footage filmmaking and Jonestown-styled cult apocalypticism.
John Semley, Globe and Mail
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