A Little Prayer - A Sundance Review

People are nice - they can be.

A Little Prayer premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Taking place in a small town in North Carolina, a family is tested with several problems. Suspecting that his son is cheating on his wife, a father makes it his job to put an end to the affair.

A Little Prayer is like looking into a mirror. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to watch this film at its Sundance premiere. A Little Prayer exhibits a collection of feelings in a family. As a whole, certain topics deserved more time in development.

David Strathairn is a profound actor. His earnest performance in this recognizes how far he has come along as an actor. As the man of the house, taking care of his family is not easy. Worrying that he’s not a good dad, Bill proves himself wrong.

A strong ensemble of actors performed in A Little Prayer. This is a character film. Jane Levy was astounding in her performance. Her deliverance of monologue in the climax is delivered with gratitude. Decisions are tough, but it’s the right idea to focus on yourself.

Credits also include Will Pulton, Celia Weston, Anna Camp, Billie Roy, Ashley Shelton, and Dascha Polanco. Not much rehearsal time happened before filming started. The actors constructed believable relationships. Getting on each other's nerves, and briefly bickering, they share helpful advice. They highlight what family is about.

The bond between a father-in-law and a daughter-in-law is explored. As mentioned, this relationship is rarely explored in films. It’s not one of those in-law relationships where they can’t stand each other. It’s relaxing to witness a healthy in-law relationship in a film.

Bill and Tammy’s relationship was my favorite part of A Little Prayer. They were sweet and looked out for one another. More films need to explore this relationship.

Scenes are not that long. Getting to the point, certain scenes are too short, cutting away too quickly. There were a few scenes that didn’t need to be in the story altogether. Patty’s subplot was wrapped up too quickly.

Certain scenes or characters, like David’s PTSD, could have been built up more. David’s PTSD is an important detail. It was only talked about once towards the end. I didn’t realize that David was struggling with PTSD. Come to think of it, we barely see David. Mentioned David’s PTSD earlier could have helped me understand his character a lot better.

As Angus MacLachlan mentioned, A Little Prayer is a personal story that went through six years in the making. The characters were the most important element for Maclachlan, hoping that audiences would connect. Displaying an array of feelings in a family, the film has a quiet tone but there is so much more to it.

A Little Prayer was filmed in North Caroline where MacLachlan grew up. He wanted to portray the film naturally. He succeeded in authenticity. The experience moved him so much as to what the film interprets to viewers.

A Little Prayer has a serious topic about abortion that a lot of audiences are going to have mixed feelings about. Said scene was filmed on a critical day when the Wade vs. Row Law was overturned in June 2022. This storyline is handled carefully by all involved. We cannot avoid serious topics. By watching this film, together we can discuss our opinions.

A Little Prayer revolves around an assortment of topics. Go see this film once it is released. Watching it as its Sundance Premiere was a wonderful experience.