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Cast: Alan Bendich, Sandy Soma, Deborah Bonardi, Jim Terriaca, Robert Arensen, Bob Socci, James Sferrazza
Acedia is set on a country estate where six priests are sent to rid a teenage girl of demons. While waiting for the ritualistic tenth hour, the priests start to uncover demons of their own as well as the dark secrets that haunt the estate. A small box created from wood made from the boat of Noah's Arc can make wishes come true. Once the wish is granted the souls are trapped in the dark corners of hell.
"Acedia" is the new film from Writer/Director Joe Ciminera. If you had the chance to see his last film "Purification" then you already know what this talented filmmaker is capable of making on a micro-budget.
"Acedia" about a little girl who begins acting strangely and coughing up blood, after seeing no end to his daughter's pain her father finally comes to the conclusion that she is possessed by demons. He decides to call in a group of priests and monks to perform an exorcism. But while they are preparing the priests and monks start to encounter some of their own demons. You find out that the demons actually haunt the estate but there's even more. There is also talk of a magic box that is made out from the wood of Noah’s Ark. The box has the power to grant anyone that excepts it a wish but it's all a trick and the devil has the power to take the wish away any time he chooses. As the film moves along you find out that everything that has happened is all linked to the devil and that magic box.
There's a lot going on here so to talk too much about the story would only ruin it for those waiting to see it but what I can tell you is "Acedia" is a clever, smart, intense and frightening film that breathes new life into the genre. I have not seen a film about possession this scary in a long time and it's done without CGI or the usual jump scares you get nowadays. An intelligent film that grabs your attention right from the start and it has you at the edge of your seat the entire time. Writer/Director Joe Ciminera is on the verge of some very big things, his vision and writing skills are unmatched at this point. Hollywood needs to take notice. You don't need millions of dollars to create a great film and this is proof of that.
Production wise the film looks fantastic, from the cinematography to the settings everything about the film looks much bigger than the budget would suggest. This is Ciminera's second feature film that was produced with NO script. Dialogue given the day of the shoot. Shot primarily on location in Long Island, the film was aided by incredibly talented actors and actresses who donated their time. The cast is amazing, from the adult actors to the children everyone did a fantastic job playing their roles.
Writer/Director Joe Ciminera got a lot of people's attention with his first film, this one is going to show them that he is the real deal and a force to be reckoned with when it comes to horror. "Acedia" is a film horror fans dream about seeing, it's amazingly frightening from start to finish. Once the film is released to a wide audience it is going to quickly gain a huge following from strong word of mouth. I look forward to seeing what this amazing filmmaker has coming next but in the mean time I recommend checking out this film as soon as you can. A must-see film that finally gives fans what they want.
You can follow the film's progress over at it's official site HERE.
***** Out Of *****