Holier Than Thou

A short comedy drama film directed by Rhys Ashcroft and Dan Le Friec, written by Dan Le Friec and starring themselves and Ian Taylor, Jacob Morgan and Doug Craig.

A young priest named Keith (Friec) decides to address God and tell Him about the complications of his life. Based on a live comedy show that played in London, the story begins after Keith has done something outrageous and goes to his church and proceeds to speak to the supreme being, ostensibly to make amends for his actions. From there, he goes on a series of long monologues that take place in a variety of locations, including the church, Keith's living room, his bathroom or his kitchen, where he communicates his emotions and describes his romantic experiences to God.

A priest talks about their intimate experiences. The fact that it is a priest who is talking about such things is probably what makes this short stand out and the result is funny and shocking as people who work in religion are not expected to speak of such things, especially on church premises. If Keith's character was a simple person, one whose occupation does not involve religion, then the events and emotions that come to light in the story would not have the same impact, be it comedic or shocking. Basically, the screenplay is about Keith trying to come to terms with his life by speaking to God, revealing his thoughts, how he feels about this and that and hoping to find answers and it works well at being an interesting and amusing experience thanks to Friec's performance, cheeky and adult humour and a soundtrack that is comprised of songs by various artists including Elliot Albert Orchard, John Runefelt, Sleepaway Camp, Indigo Days and Anna Landstrom.

Some viewers might perceive Keith as an anti-hero as they might be offended by the fact that this film is about a priest who uses profanity (especially inside a church), drinks heavily, takes drugs and engages in a series of activities that include masturbating in a cemetery and having intercourse inside a church. On top of this, they are also likely to disapprove of the content of some of the pictures in Keith's home.

Friec does a great job as a young priest who is trying to understand his life and his experiences, delivering a performance that is comical throughout. This protagonist comes across as a well-meaning but naive guy, who fancies older women and enjoys alcohol. The script includes numerous flashbacks about Keith's experiences with other, including during his childhood and the actors that appear in this scenes play their part well, specifically Ashcroft, who is quite entertaining in his brief role.

Self-reflection and self-expression are two main themes in this story that also delves into religion, specifically the idea of turning to God for advice. Reminiscing the past is another subject, along with romance, loss and having regrets.

Friec's performance and the humorous screenplay make this short an amusing and intriguing viewing. Some people are likely to dislike the idea of a priest being involved in sexual matters, however, a priest having sexual thoughts and engaging in sexual activities is probably the primary thing that makes this film entertaining, because it is an unusual and outrageous (from a fun perspective) idea.