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The Independent Critic

STARRING
Brian Croucher, Kai Dawe, Annabel Leventon
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
Paul Holbrook and Sam Dawe
RUNNING TIME
16:36
OFFICIAL WEBSITE

 "Sunday Worship" Hits Festival Circuit 
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U.K.-based Shunk Films (A Girl and Her Gun) are back in action with another thought-provoking and meaningful short film, Sunday Worship, the story of a lonely septuagenarian named Jim Champion (Brian Croucher) who struggles to conceal his fading health from his doting wife (Annabel Leventon) while finding solace in the adventures of a local football team and, in particular, the exploits of #9 (Kai Dawe). 

Sunday Worship is co-written and directed by Paul Holbrook and Sam Dawe and they lend the film an emotional depth, no small achievement given that much of the film is played out with minimal dialogue as Croucher's performance, exquisite as it is, depends upon his body language and facial expressions whether face-to-face with his loving yet concerned wife or standing along the sidelines of a game that one can tell has far greater meaning than Croucher's Champion is communicating. 

The film's original music is what one might expect from a film such as this, an immense score filled with notes that seemingly wrap around the words and actions unfolding. D.P. Will Baldy's lensing is warm and intimate, observing more than participating and allowing the audience to simply co-exist with the film's immensely moving silences. 

There isn't much else to be said about the honest, emotionally authentic Sunday Worship or, at least, there isn't much to be said that won't ruin the viewing experience and that would be a complete and utter shame. Suffice it to say that Sunday Worship is a quiet gem of a short that should have no difficulty at all finding a home on the indie fest circuit. If you get a chance, this is a film you won't want to miss. 

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic