Welcome to Mercy (3/5)

Welcome to Mercy (formerly titled Beatus) is a thriller with a heavy horror influence. The story revolves around religion and yes, it also features a demon. The excellent twist at the end is everything!

While I wasn’t completely thrilled (no pun intended) with the first half of the movie, the second half more than made up for it. For me, it was just a bit messy and all over the place at first. I understand why – after having watched it all.

Still, it did throw me off a bit too much. And that’s never a good thing for a movie since not everyone will get to the end.

Written by the star

Welcome to Mercy is written by Kristen Ruhlin, who also stars in the movie. Fortunately, she really does an excellent job as the lead character. It requires quite a lot since this is her story, but she manages to keep the audience on board.

As stated initially, I had some issues with the first half of the movie. It’s not that I felt it was boring or anything like that. Very far from it. Instead, it was just a lot of information and flashbacks that you’re trying to fit together.

However, you don’t have to worry about being left hanging. It will all make sense in the end. There will be demons and heartbreak, but it will also all come together.

And really, I hadn’t seen this twist before, but it was mindblowing and sheer brilliance. Such an obvious consequence of what we learn during the movie, but still, I just did not see it coming.

A small but intensely good cast

The cast of Welcome to Mercy is pretty small. Part of the story does take place in a convent, which makes for a few more characters. But the core of the cast consists of very few people.

This enables the audience to become more invested in these core characters, which in turn keeps you engaged with the story.

Kristen Ruhlin is critical as the lead character, Madeline, and works perfectly. But also Lily Newmark and Eileen Davies are key supporting characters that make everything come together.

Lily Newmark was in the Star Wars spinoff Solo and has several movies in post-production right now. In other words, prepare to see a lot more of the enigmatic young actress.

Eileen Davies plays Mother Superior, which tends to always be a fascinating character – whether in a kind or brutal way. You may have seen Eileen Davies in High-Rise staring Tom Hiddleston or the Netflix series The End of the F***ing World.

Released through IFC Midnight

For us, IFC Midnight tends to be a pretty good indication that a movie is worth watching. This alone made us excited to watch Welcome to Mercy, and the prediction proved accurate once again.

While this movie might not be for everyone, it should certainly satisfy most fans of the horror and thriller genre. Just give it a chance even if you find the first half a bit off. You will be rewarded with a damn excellent story.

The movie is directed by Tommy Bertelsen and it’s only his second feature film. His first feature film was Feed (2017), which was written by Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars), who also starred in it alongside Tom Felton (Harry Potter).

Clearly, it works really well for Tommy Bertelsen, when he teams up with a female screenwriter, who also stars in the story. I don’t know what will be next from this director, but I certainly have my hopes up for something different and interesting.

Welcome to Mercy (aka Beatus) will be out in theaters and on demand from IFC Midnight on November 2, 2018.

Details

Director: Tommy Bertelsen
Cast: Kristen Ruhlin, Lily Newmark, Eileen Davies, Sophia Massa

Plot

When a single mother begins to experience symptoms of the stigmata, she seeks the help of a local priest and nun to help her understand what is seen and unseen.