Leap of Faith

USA 2019
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
Cast: William Friedkin

105 Min. | OV | Originalversion
German Premiere
International

Since elaborate bonus material has become a standard for home entertainment releases, documentaries about the filming, visual analysis and long interviews have almost developed into an own sub-genre. But most of these features and featurettes are little more than collections of witty anecdotes. The works of Swiss filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe impressively demonstrate, that this format is offering many more opportunities. For »Leap of Faith«, his approximation of the spiritual aspects of the classic horror film »The Exorcist«, Philippe interviewed director William Friedkin over the course of several days. At first, this radical focus on Friedkin‘s recollections and tales about this one film released in 1973 seems to narrow the film‘s scope, as it easily allows the director an attempt at legend building. But thel onger one looks at and listens to Friedkin, the more this conscious limitation becomes a strength. Cleverly placed clips from »The Exorcist« and other films enhance this homage to one of the most successful horror films of all time with an additional, cine-poetic dimension.