A Mind-Bending Apologetic

The Hound of Heaven is premiering in London later this week at the Raindance Film Festival, and you can see the trailer for it here at The Hollywood Reporter. It is a short film, so it will not be releasing in the usual theater way. When it is available I will beat the drum here in such a way as to help you find out how to see it.

This short film is remarkable in any number of ways, but the most remarkable thing about it is that it exists at all. A Victorian opium addict wrote a Victorian poem about all the baubles he had decided to pursue instead of Christ, and as he pursued them, he realized that he was being inexorably pursued. Bring this poem into a 21st century setting, have the pursuing hound of Heaven be represented by the rap artist Propaganda, mix in a hard series of surrealistic images, and you have a short movie that can speak across centuries.

When you consider the dilemma of mankind, you realize that there is nothing peculiarly Victorian about it — although the Victorians were full participants in this mess, just as we are.

Nate and Aaron rented an abandoned car dealership, built a subway tunnel in it, and a pool for the water shots, and a set house. My daughter Bekah designed the posters that were to line the tunnel, had them printed in Asia somewhere, just for kicks I think, whence they arrived just in time to be wallpapered up. Propaganda came up from California to give The Hound of Heaven his spoken word treatment, and did a fantastic job. Danielle Smith, an NSA student here in Moscow, gave a marvelous performance in capturing what it is like to run like a heroine in a horror flick. But the looming horror she runs from is . . . life.

I am not sure how many times I have seen it, but it stays powerful. We will let you know how to get it when it releases, so stay tuned — especially if you have any friends who are still running.