This is a very well acted drama with Isaiah Washington (Dr. Preston Burke on Grey’s Anatomy) as a Catholic priest, Father Andre James, who has arrived at a new school with some hidden secrets.
It turns out his predecessor disappeared without explanation for quite some time, so the school’s principal, Father William Jennings, played by the deep-voiced Robert Loggia (Funny Money), has asked his old friend, Father Andre James, step in and deliver. the duties of the former priest. Father James, on the other hand, has to impress the priests already there, in particular Father Thomas Peters played by stalwart Bob Gunton (Warden Norden in Shawshank Redemption), and Father Alfred McKavee played by John Billingsley ( Dr. Phlox in Star Trek: Enterprise). ).
There’s the usual antics at an all-male boarding school, or indeed any school, bullying, disrespect for your teachers, and looking at indecent magazines. Father James has to rise to the challenge of impressing not only the kids at school but also his fellow clergymen, and in the midst of this he tries to help one boy in particular, Parker Remy, played by Jordan Garrett, who is a little sharp. he’s separated from the rest of the kids, and he’s on medication. Father James would like to know the problems behind this and would like to help the boy in any way he can. There is a lovely scene where the new priest tries to gain camaraderie with Parker and the kids in general, he sits at Parker’s table during lunch and asks if the food is good, Parker replies no, Father James then he says food so bad it’s only good for one thing, and soon after a food fight breaks out, with Father James in the middle, much to his embarrassment as the other priests enter the scene.
There’s also a scene explaining the trouble the kids are going through, with Father James taking part in a basketball game where Jason Boyd (played by Andrew Lawrence), the local bully, leads the team, as they fight to win. the ball. knocked down, after which Jason says that they’re all fighting to get into the same schools and get the same grades, and if anyone gets in their way, they’re brushed aside.
Isaiah Washington’s performance is riveting, and he digs deep into the character, effortlessly blending into the prayer rituals and trying to help the kids at school, while also trying to defend his actions in front of his superiors and fellow priests.
There is a particularly poignant scene where Father James stays in Parker’s room after Parker asks him to; because he was scared, leaving the room the next morning, Father Peters sees him and brings him before the headmaster, where he is informed that such actions could be considered reckless if the press ever found out. and its implied connotations could easily undo a lifetime’s work.
This is one of the first films of its kind to deal with the difficult and painful issues of abuse from the priests’ point of view, handled with respect at all times.
