Belief is a scary thing. Faith and belief should be comforting things. Uniting forces that should connect us to people, and give us a feeling of connection. It’s when that faith and those beliefs stray from what others understand that can isolate people and set them apart as different and strange. This is the crux of “A Record of Sweet Murder,” a film about one man’s desperate belief in something so bizarre and seemingly insane that it can’t possibly be true, and his need to prove it is.
The story focuses on a young reporter and her camera person, who have agreed to meet a man who has escaped from custody and has gone on a killing spree. They are to meet him in an abandoned building and to film everything they see. When they meet the man, he is manic and insists they film everything that happens to capture a miracle. If they stop filming, he will kill them. As they learn of why he has been killing people and what he has planned next, they realize he is a very dangerous man and that they may not survive this story. As events play out, though, there are strange coincidences that cannot be explained away, and a question arises: what if he’s right? What if something miraculous is going to happen. The only way to find out is to survive long enough to see for themselves.
I absolutely loved how the filmmaker took a unique approach to this subgenre. It gave the film immediacy and a lot of energy that never runs out. Fair warning that there is a sexual assault in the film, so if that’s something that will bother you, consider yourself warned. The movie really keeps you on guard throughout it; the lead actor really goes for it in his performance, and it makes the film feel dangerous. The first of several twists is really fantastic, and completely changes the trajectory of the film for the better. And that ending, wow.
The film won’t be for everyone. It’s in one room, and it’s lots of talking, with action interspersed. If you can get into what it’s doing, though, it’s a fantastic ride, and the best found-footage film I have seen in a while. It’s not perfect, but truly, with that ending, it is one of the most surprising entries into the subgenre I have ever seen.
TL;DR: A HIGHLY recommended film that will surprise fans of the subgenre.
3.75 out of 5
(available now on Tubi).
