One of the more fascinating aspects of Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is how much of the story is based in truth. Director and writer Adamma Ebo, in her directorial debut, drew a lot of the film's story from her own experience growing up in Atlanta's megachurch culture. In her youth, Ebo was annoyed with many superficial aspects of being a Southern Baptist, like not being allowed to dress up for Halloween, but when a prominent pastor landed himself in the middle of a scandal, she began seriously questioning her association with the church. It was through this internal conflict that Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. was born.
The film takes a satirical look at megachurches and those who derive great benefit, financial or otherwise, from it. Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown play Trinitie and Lee-Curtis Childs, a first lady and pastor of a Southern Baptist megachurch. At one point, their congregation was in the 10s of thousands, allowing the Childs to amass immense wealth and power in the community. After a scandal forced them to temporarily close their church, Trinitie and Lee-Curtis are now on the comeback trail to regain everything they've worked towards
The Childs hire a film crew to document their resurrection in the hopes of garnering sympathy and inspiring hope. Ebo blends together mockumentary and traditional narrative filmmaking to give audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the Childs when the film crew has gone, while also treating us to the documentary itself. Ebo does this seamlessly. It never feels jarring going back and forth between the two formats, nor does it get confusing. Rather, weaving the two styles together gives an affecting and wholesome look at the Childs, and also serves as a great way to show their lives prior to the film.
At the heart of Honk for Jesus is two incredible performances by Hall and Brown. Typically known more for his dramatic work in This Is Us, Brown shows himself to be a fantastic comedic actor. His shows of excessive grandeur as Lee-Curtis are perfectly in keeping with the film's satirical tone. And of course, Hall is hilarious as Trinitie. An immensely talented comedian, Hall brings the funny in every way we've come to expect. What may surprise audiences, especially those who didn't catch her in Master, is her abilities as a dramatic actress. This is exemplified in one of the best scenes in the film, when Hall delivers a tragic and heartfelt monologue while sporting mime makeup.
Individually both Hall and Brown bring their A game, and together they feel like an on-screen pairing who have worked together for decades. There is a level of comfort between the two that allows them to go extremely broad one minute and intensely intimate the next. This all comes to a head when they rap along to "Knuck If You Buck," a 2004 track from the Atlanta hip-hop group Crime Mob. In what will surely be the scene most retweeted clip from the film, Hall and Brown show why they should definitely continue making films together.
There may be some apprehension from churchgoers that Honk for Jesus is a takedown of the church and its teachings. What Ebo presents to us, however, is a thoughtful criticism of the commercialization of the church and the abuse of power by those in authoritative positions. Some really interesting themes are raised throughout the film, which will only become more intriguing with time and re-watches.
As a directorial debut, Honk for Jesus is particularly impressive. Ebo, with the help of two powerhouse performances, achieves the difficult task of bringing to light serious issues in a non-serious way that is to be deeply commended, and will have audiences on the lookout for her next project.
(Focus)The film takes a satirical look at megachurches and those who derive great benefit, financial or otherwise, from it. Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown play Trinitie and Lee-Curtis Childs, a first lady and pastor of a Southern Baptist megachurch. At one point, their congregation was in the 10s of thousands, allowing the Childs to amass immense wealth and power in the community. After a scandal forced them to temporarily close their church, Trinitie and Lee-Curtis are now on the comeback trail to regain everything they've worked towards
The Childs hire a film crew to document their resurrection in the hopes of garnering sympathy and inspiring hope. Ebo blends together mockumentary and traditional narrative filmmaking to give audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the Childs when the film crew has gone, while also treating us to the documentary itself. Ebo does this seamlessly. It never feels jarring going back and forth between the two formats, nor does it get confusing. Rather, weaving the two styles together gives an affecting and wholesome look at the Childs, and also serves as a great way to show their lives prior to the film.
At the heart of Honk for Jesus is two incredible performances by Hall and Brown. Typically known more for his dramatic work in This Is Us, Brown shows himself to be a fantastic comedic actor. His shows of excessive grandeur as Lee-Curtis are perfectly in keeping with the film's satirical tone. And of course, Hall is hilarious as Trinitie. An immensely talented comedian, Hall brings the funny in every way we've come to expect. What may surprise audiences, especially those who didn't catch her in Master, is her abilities as a dramatic actress. This is exemplified in one of the best scenes in the film, when Hall delivers a tragic and heartfelt monologue while sporting mime makeup.
Individually both Hall and Brown bring their A game, and together they feel like an on-screen pairing who have worked together for decades. There is a level of comfort between the two that allows them to go extremely broad one minute and intensely intimate the next. This all comes to a head when they rap along to "Knuck If You Buck," a 2004 track from the Atlanta hip-hop group Crime Mob. In what will surely be the scene most retweeted clip from the film, Hall and Brown show why they should definitely continue making films together.
There may be some apprehension from churchgoers that Honk for Jesus is a takedown of the church and its teachings. What Ebo presents to us, however, is a thoughtful criticism of the commercialization of the church and the abuse of power by those in authoritative positions. Some really interesting themes are raised throughout the film, which will only become more intriguing with time and re-watches.
As a directorial debut, Honk for Jesus is particularly impressive. Ebo, with the help of two powerhouse performances, achieves the difficult task of bringing to light serious issues in a non-serious way that is to be deeply commended, and will have audiences on the lookout for her next project.
