You go into a movie with absolutely no idea about what is about to unfold before your eyes. You don’t sneak a spoiler, nay, you do not even sneak in the storyline. You hear of a movie, a title, you hear it is good — generic, nothing specific — and you get around to watching it. 

And then as the story starts to build — slowly, slowly, very slowly — you find your interested starting to pique. You start forming a general idea as to how this story is going to go. You wish to know more. 

Then it all goes to s*it.  

Heretic is a film that takes its audience on a ride through a labyrinth of intrigue and moral quandaries. The plot, both intricate and though-provoking, keeps you on the edge of your seat. You want to know more, you want to know what’s next in this debate clawing before you, this argument as old as time — and the worst part is, for people like me at least, is how well the balance of plot and character destabilizes our own interpretation of good and evil. It is a story that is as compelling as it is unsettling. And that feeling does not go away ever. Even after the movie is done. 

The movie quite literally stands on the shoulders of a Hugh Grant that we would never have imagine to see. The man has spent an entire lifetime forcing us to see him playing a certain type of character — a character we have all gone on to ardently love, cherish, to almost accept to be a part of ourselves. Be it Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Notting Hill, and more movies like Music and Lyrics. And then this happens. Perhaps it is because of the choice of casting that you are even further taken in into the storyline at the beginning — because seeing Hugh Grant you automatically start to believe that this narrative is now going to start moving a particular way. But you are wrong. And that impending chaos that you, the audience, are pulled into, it mirrors the state of the two missionary girls in the room who try to grapple with the situation they suddenly find themselves in. 

But eventually, once the initial shock wears off — somewhere around the middle of the movie — you start to realise that the story had started to drag. The story starts to meander slightly, looking like it wanted to stretch itself. So much so, you start to lose salient points, large chunks of the narrative, and sadly, major plot references. There are some points in the movie — mostly towards the end — that you just fail to comprehend. And as it progresses towards its conclusion, a lot of it is left up to audience interpretation. While one can appreciate the process, a more clear and concise climax would perhaps be more satisfying. The shift, most certainly, undermines the film’s earlier brilliance — and that feels like quite a waste for an otherwise wonderful film. 

All that said, Heretic, is truly a film of significant merit, bolstered by Hugh Grant’s extraordinary performance, with a plot that for the most part captivates and engages. The closing moments might feel like a bit of a drag, but at the end you come out of this movie with questions, a few answers, and a lot, lot, lot more to process. It makes you think, to discuss — and that immediately makes it a compelling viewing experience.