Father
Augusto Saenz has the crime fighting talent of Father Brown and the social
conscience of Father Greeley, but alas, neither is particularly good for his
career as a Jesuit. Fortunately, he works for a higher power. Saenz and his
colleague, Father Jerome Lucero, are more than willing to consult with the
police, but they are not so good at navigating the politics that go with civil
service in Raya Martin’s Smaller and
Smaller Circles, which opens today in Los Angeles.
Father
Saenz is one of the few priests who has his own crime lab, but his righteous
compulsion to speak out against predatory priests will jeopardize its continued
funding. Frankly, it was Saenz who deduced there was a serial killer loose in
the first place, so it makes sense for him to join the investigation. However,
the corrupt prosecutor is not thrilled having him on board.
It
is clear an unknown perp has been murdering young boys from Payatas, one of
Metro Manila’s most distressed neighborhoods, at odd intervals. The strange
timing of the killings might hold an important clue. Unfortunately, Father
Saenz is the only one smart enough to figure it out, but he will be pulled of
the case due to politics.
We
had a genuinely hostile reaction to Martin's disturbingly cruel How to Disappear Completely, but
fortunately he redeems himself with the much more accessible and humanistic Circles. Its general plotline is not wildly
original, but it still functions quite effectively as a procedural. However, the
real strength of the film is its characterization. Father Saenz in particular is
quite a compelling figure, especially with respects to his mentoring
relationships with Father Lucero and a foreign journalist. The two priests also relate to their Catholic faith and the Church's policies in ways that are critical and complicated, without indulging in cheap shots or sock-puppetry.
Veteran
actor Nonie Buencamino is terrific as Saenz. He is intensely driven and a bit
like Cumberbatch’s Sherlock in terms of his awkward social graces, but Buencamino
also fully conveys his forgiveness and charity. Sid Lucero nicely plays against
type as the studious (and celibate) Father Lucero, while Raffy Tejada is
flamboyantly slimy as Atty. Arcinas.
Martin
maintains a tight, tense noir vibe, heightened by J.A. Tadena’s eerie
cinematography. His pacing is deliberate, but never slack or sluggish. All in
all, it is a distinctively brooding thriller. Recommended for fans of dark and morally complex serial killer films, Smaller and
Smaller Circles (admittedly not a great title) opens today (3/1) in Los
Angeles, at the Laemmle Glendale.
