Mourning their recently deceased daughter, a priest and his wife (Henry Czerny, Mimi Kuzyk) allow a stranger (dir. O'Brien) with questionable motives enter their household. The film possesses an intense spirituality, grounding horror in real life occurrences as well as the supernatural. Although it never answers the question one of the characters asks, "Can you tell me what the voice of God sounds like?" it does address accountability and features some great acting.

Wrestiling with faith has never looked so good.

One of my favorite horror films of the year. Been a fan Mark O’Brien’s acting and now I’m a huge fan of his writing and directing. Loved the look and feel of this. Every frame felt so intentional. Brilliant cinematography, score, and performances from the entire cast. Can’t wait to see what O’Brien does next.

There's blackness of dark and then there's white of light for penance there's no in-betweens. It's a slow moving story which when realised is a delight for most fans of suspense and thrillers. There's metaphorical imagery scattered everywhere leaving room for many avenues for explanations. Great cinematography and use of audio. Well written story with sharp dialogues that actually brings the first shade of horror into the sluggish stretch. Performances were excellent portraying the unspoken emotions of every character in this silent cat and mouse game. The Righteous is a story with a twist and good work.

Great performances, beautiful cinematography but the story is meandering and really slow.

This is very much a brooding, mysterious and spooky somewhat sinister seeming film. The fact its shot in black and white helps add to the overall atmosphere. It is fairly gripping at points, though a little slow to get going. It has quite a play type feel to it, so don't be expecting fast action and visual effects - its more character based, exploring themes of guilt and regret and it has a good use of spooky/chilling music in the background. This film is a good one for fans of mystery and chilling ghost type stories, not so much for all out horror fans, I'd say. It surprised me by becoming quite impactful at the end, so I upped my rating for this film.

It takes a great deal of talent to blend the genre's vibe with such subtle and profound theological scrutiny, but Mark O'brien, for all his extensive involvement, delivers bigtime on all levels.

The acting, especially Czerny, is incredible. The end is a monster. The whole thing is not super clear, but the enigma is there for a reason. Great film.

An incredible debut feature from Mark O'Brien. Amazing performances from all three leads and some brilliant writing from O'Brien as well. Cannot wait to see what comes next from O'Brien.

This is literature. This is art. I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie. The wages of sin...

This first feature from director-actor-writer Mark O'Brien (Ready or Not) is about Frederic (Henry Czerny) a grieving man already struggling with his faith who decides to help an injured Aaron Smith (O'Brien) when the man knocks on his door and claims to be lost in the woods. Frederic and his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk) invite the man to stay, but Frederic soon begins to doubt why the man is there and the stories he tells. In fact, he could be there to test everything that Frederic -- a one-time priest before he got married -- knows. He's already endured the tragic loss of his daughter. What can be next? Filmed in striking black and white by cinematographer Scott McClellan, this movie is either a man of lapsed faith against the very human past sins made flesh or a home invasion movie. It could be both. As Aaron starts putting his feet up on the table, reading the brochure on the dead child's funeral expenses, asking some very personal questions and perhaps getting too close to Ethel, this film proves itself to be a long simmering and suspenseful effort that isn't afraid to its it's time, nor worried about a small cast. After all, there's so much talent here.

A great psychological thriller, in a dark and understated way. I loved the cinematography and the ambiguous ending. As a Protestant, I don't fully comprehend Catholic conceptions of guilt and contrition; I think I might have liked this movie even more if I did, since that was key to the moral tension at the centre of the film. Also, it would help to know if what the main character was feeling in the film had any basis in theology or just his own pain and grief. Not a traditional horror film, but still horror IMO.

A Slow-Burn Religious Thriller That'll Creep Under Your Skin