The Sacrament

My goal was to create an elevated genre film that examines the last days in the life of a religious cult. It is rare to find films like these that are more than just cheap thrills aimed at the lowest common denominator. It was important to me not to portray these characters as mindless, psychotic cult members, but as relatable real people - Ti West

From acclaimed writer/director and master of horror Eli Roth, follows two correspondents as they set out to document their friend’s journey to find his missing sister. They travel outside of the to an undisclosed location where they are welcomed into the world of “,” a self-sustained rural utopia, comprised of nearly two hundred members.

My goal was to create an elevated genre film that examines the last days in the life of a religious cult. It is rare to find films like these that are more than just cheap thrills aimed at the lowest common denominator. It was important to me not to portray these characters as mindless, psychotic cult members, but as relatable real people - Ti West

My goal was to create an elevated genre film that examines the last days in the life of a religious cult. It is rare to find films like these that are more than just cheap thrills aimed at the lowest common denominator. It was important to me not to portray these characters as mindless, psychotic cult members, but as relatable real people
– Ti West

The Sacrament stars Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen, Kentucker Audley, Amy Seimetz, and Gene Jones. The film is written, directed and edited by Ti West and produced by Eli Roth, Jacob Jaffke, Peter Phok, Christopher Woodrow, Molly Conners and Eric Newman.

Q&A WITH WRITER / DIRECTOR TI WEST

[accordion][acc title=”Tell us about the concept and story behind THE SACRAMENT. How did the idea come to you?“]I had always wanted to make a mini-series inspired by Jonestown but felt it would either never happen or take far too long to come to fruition, and being as impatient as I am, I decided to find a way to rework that story into something more likely to get made. We are living in a somewhat unstable time, and a lot of the reasons people joined The People’s Temple in the 60’s and 70’s seem very relevant today. In updating the story to a modern era, I felt that VICE would be most appropriate as the media outlet where the main characters work. VICE has been responsible for some of the most interesting and provocative content in recent years, and they take a lot of risks for their stories. It was a perfect fit.[/acc][acc title=”Why did you decide to structure this project as a film?“]I actually consider “documentary-style” a type of “new-media” cinema. I used VICE’s documentary style as a structural model, but really tried to have the story, cinematography and soundtrack transcend familiar genre labels. Hopefully it feels not like “found footage,” but rather like something “new.”[/acc][acc title=”Talk about the casting process.“]One of the great things about this project was that I had total control over casting. Most of the roles were written specifically for certain actors I had in mind, all of whom I ended up with. In my opinion, casting is 75% of directing, and when you are able to get the right people for the roles, it not only makes the job easier, it makes for a more authentic film.[/acc][acc title=”Have you worked with any cast members of the production previously?“]I had worked with almost all of them in some form or another over the years, but this was the first time I was able to get everyone together all at once, the exception being Gene Jones, who I had never met or worked with. Suffice it to say; when he showed up to set on his first day, we were all blown away by his performance.[/acc][acc title=”How was it shooting in Savannah, GA?“]Savannah was very welcoming. We originally intended to shoot near Charleston, South Carolina, but after starting pre-production, the state decided the content of our film was not worthy of their tax dollars and disqualified us from being able to use their tax credit. While that was incredibly frustrating at first, it was probably a blessing in disguise because moving down to Savannah ended up benefitting the production. What is most impressive is that we built the entire foreign community of “Eden Parish” in someone’s backyard in Georgia.[/acc][/accordion]

MoreMovieDetails

All Posts

Share this article: The Sacrament

Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Pinterest
Email

MORE TOPICS

The film was scheduled to be released by Paramount Pictures in the United States and Canada on October 2, 2009. Paramount later announced it was going to push back the release date to February 19, 2010. Reports attribute the pushback to Paramount not having the financing in 2009 to spend the $50 to $60 million necessary to market a big awards pic like this, to DiCaprio's unavailability to promote the film internationally

Shutter Island

Shutter Island is a 2010 American psychological thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese. The film is based on Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel of the same name. Production started in March 2008. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as U.S. Marshal Edward “Teddy” Daniels, who is investigating a psychiatric facility located on the island named in the title.

The Equalizer

In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him to lead a quiet life in peace. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her.

Don’t Think Twice

With a top-flight ensemble of comic actors including Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Kate Micucci, Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher and Birbiglia, Don’t Think Twice tells a nuanced story of friendship, aspiration and the pain and promise of change.

Little Fockers

Little Fockers is an 2010 American comedy film and a sequel to both Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004) starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest

BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST is a documentary film directed by Michael Rapaport about one of the most influential and groundbreaking musical groups in hip-hop history. Having released five gold and platinum selling albums within eight years, A Tribe Called Quest has been one of the most commercially successful and artistically significant musical groups in recent history, and regarded as iconic pioneers of hip hop. The band’s sudden break-up in 1998 shocked the industry and saddened the scores of fans, whose appetite for the group’s innovative musical stylings never seems to diminish.