KILLING FAITH

Part frontier Western, part plague parable, and part supernatural fable, Ned Crowley’s Killing Faith is a haunting ride through the badlands of 1849 Arizona.

Guy Pearce delivers a riveting performance as a once-respected physician turned ether-addicted husk, who reluctantly agrees to escort former slave Sara (DeWanda Wise) and her young daughter Faith (Emily Ford) across a ravaged desert. The task seems simple enough: to deliver them to the famed preacher Ross (Bill Pullman), a supposed healer who promises salvation—but the journey there is dangerous: the trio encounters outlaws, plague survivors, and other desperate souls along the way. 

At the center of this tale is a pale blonde child wearing fuzzy pint mittens called Faith. Everything she touches dies immediately. Some say she’s cursed, and others call her possessed. Her mother sees both salvation and damnation in her, and the doctor sees nothing but a sick child. As their perilous journey unfolds, the question arises: is the girl truly evil, or does her deadly gift exist for another reason? 

The film thrives in its grotesque encounters: Joanna Cassidy is unforgettable as the matriarch of a warped frontier family, and a pair of ruthless outlaws who fixate on Faith provide even more menace. And Pullman EATS every scene as the charismatic preacher who’s truly only interested in his own personal agenda. 

Visually, Killing Faith is staggering. The desert landscapes are beautiful and apocalyptic, and the atmospheric score underlines the sense of dread. My one complaint is that I wish it had leaned a little more into the supernatural and let Faith really unleash her power – still, it’s a bleak and somehow strangely tender fable about belief, survival, and the duty of protecting innocence.